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About OAII |
William M. Smethie
Columbia University
Start Date: December 15, 1996
Expire: November 30, 1998 (Estimated)
Expected Total Amt.: $210,000 (Estimated)
Fld Science: Polar Programs-Related, Climate Related Activities
Abstract:
The PI proposes to measure the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) content of water samples taken in the Arctic Ocean on a German research ship in 1995. The analyses will be used to determine the amount of time that has passed since the water at different water depths was at the ocean surface in continental shelf regions. This technique not only reveals the time that it takes for water to sink and spread through the Arctic Ocean but also reveals pathways for currents in which the CFCs are carried. The results of this study will yield definitive information on water-mass exchanges in the Arctic Ocean that are responsible for dissemination of pollutants and provide evidence of current patterns that may have changed in response to global climate change since the current patterns were previously determined. There is increasing evidence that current patterns have changed in the past decade and this study will add important new information to those preliminary results.