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Tracing the flow rate and mixing ratio of the Changjiang diluted water in the northwestern Pacific marginal seas using radium isotopes
Author(s) -
Lee Hojun,
Kim Guebuem,
Kim Jeonghyun,
Park Gwanserk,
Song KiHoon
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl060230
Subject(s) - seawater , oceanography , geology , radium , salinity , surface water , water mass , submarine pipeline , monsoon , isotope , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , chemistry , physics , geotechnical engineering , radiochemistry , quantum mechanics , environmental engineering
We measured Ra isotopes ( 223 Ra and 228 Ra) in surface seawater of the northwestern Pacific marginal seas to trace the flow rate and mixing of the Changjiang diluted water (CDW) in the summer of 2012. Based on the horizontal distribution of 223 Ra activities, the arrival time of CDW from the river mouth to 450 km offshore northeast was estimated to be 20–35 days, which is similar to that determined in previous studies. Moreover, we successfully calculated the relative contribution of CDW at each sampling station using a salinity and 228 Ra diagram. Using this unique method, we found that the relative contribution of CDW was more than 30% in most surface seawaters of the northern East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the southern sea off Korea. Our results suggest that CDW is of high significance in the biogeochemistry of surface seawater of these northwestern Pacific marginal seas during the summer monsoon period.