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Lateral injection of oxygen with the Bosporus plume—fingers of oxidizing potential in the Black Sea
Author(s) -
Konovalov Sergey K.,
Luther George III. W.,
Friederich Gernot E.,
Nuzzio Donald B.,
Tebo Bradley M.,
Murray James W.,
Oguz Temel,
Glazer Brian,
Trouwborst Robert E.,
Clement Brian,
Murray Karen J.,
Romanov Alexander S.
Publication year - 2003
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.2003.48.6.2369
Subject(s) - anoxic waters , pycnocline , plume , geology , oceanography , flux (metallurgy) , oxygen , mediterranean sea , chemocline , mediterranean climate , chemistry , ecology , physics , organic chemistry , biology , thermodynamics
Saline and warm Mediterranean water flowing through the Bosporus Strait maintains a permanent pycnocline with vertical separation of oxic (O 2 ), suboxic (absence of O 2 and H 2 S), and anoxic (H 2 S) zones in the Black Sea. The stable suboxic zone implies restricted vertical mixing of the upper oxic and lower anoxic layers and limited vertical flux of oxygen that cannot balance the upward flux of sulfide. We report data that directly confirm massive lateral injections (>200 km from the Bosporus) of oxygen‐enriched waters of the Bosporus plume, created by the mixing of shallow, cold, intermediate‐layer Black Sea water with Mediterranean water. These plume waters are laterally injected into the oxic layer and, more importantly, into the suboxic and anoxic layers over several small vertical scales (“fingers” of ~5 m) at water densities (σ t ) from 15.0 to 16.4. O 2 injection oxidizes Mn(II) to Mn(III,IV), which then oxidizes H 2 S. The onset of H 2 S detection occurs in deeper waters in the southwest (>170 m; σ t ~= 16.4) relative to the west central Black Sea (110 m; σ t ~= 16.2) and coincides with increased MnO 2 and S 8 formation in the southwest.