FY 2010 Estimated rates of carbon tetrachloride removal in the thermocline and deep waters of the East Sea (Sea of Japan) Min, D.-H., M.J. Warner, and J.L. Bullister Mar. Chem., 21(1–4), 100–111, doi: 10.1016/j.marchem.2010.03.008 (2010) Dissolved carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was measured for the first time in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) during the summer of 1999. Fairly high concentrations (> 0.5 pmol kg−1 at the minimum) of CCl4 were observed throughout the water column to the bottom (> 3500 m), with evidence of significant depletion of this compound in the well-oxygenated thermocline waters. CCl4 loss rates below 200 m depth were estimated to range from near zero to 0.05 yr−1 using a tracer-calibrated mixing model, and from 0.04 to 0.07 yr−1 using the CFC-12 partial pressure (pCFC-12) age technique. The results from the mixing model and pCFC-12 age technique are in fairly good agreement in the upper 1500 m of water column, but show systematic differences in the deep waters below 1500 m that are likely due to biases in the pCFC-12 age technique. Despite relatively rapid removal in the upper 500 m water column, the low removal rates for CCl4 in the cold, deep waters of the East Sea estimated using the mixing model (< 0.02 yr−1 for depths > 2000 m) indicate that this compound can be a potentially useful quantitative ocean tracer in certain regions. Feature Publications | Outstanding Scientific Publications Contact Sandra Bigley | Help
