Premium
Rapid deep‐water renewal in Lake Issyk‐Kul (Kyrgyzstan) indicated by transient tracers
Author(s) -
Hofer Markus,
Peeters Frank,
Aeschbach-Hertig Werner,
Brennwald Matthias,
Holocher Johannes,
Livingstone David M.,
Romanovski Vladimir,
Kipfer Rolf
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.2002.47.4.1210
Subject(s) - tracer , limnology , environmental science , flattening , mixing (physics) , sulfur hexafluoride , deep water , atmospheric sciences , chemistry , oceanography , geology , materials science , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics , composite material
Simultaneous profiles of the transient tracers sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), 3 H‐ 3 He, and the chlorofluorocarbons CFC‐11 and CFC‐12 were measured in Lake Issyk‐Kul, a large, deep lake in Kyrgyzstan. Apparent water ages derived from these measurements suggest rapid mixing, with a deepwater renewal rate >10% yr −1 at 650 m depth. SF 6 and 3H‐3He ages agree reasonably well, whereas CFC ages are significantly greater. The discrepancy is explained by the nonlinear relationship between tracer age and tracer concentration and by the flattening of the atmospheric growth curves for CFCs. Novel to physical limnology is the application of SF 6 dating, which proves to be an excellent tool for the study of mixing in lakes, complementing 3 H‐ 3 He and CFC dating techniques.