Record Details
Processes affecting the oceanic distribution of carbon dioxide
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Processes affecting the oceanic distribution of carbon dioxide |
| Names |
Culberson, Charles Henry
(creator) Pytkowicz, Richardo M. (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1972-05-03 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1972 |
| Abstract | The stoichiometric model of organic decomposition in seawater (Redfield, Ketchum, and Richards, 1963) was used to describe the oceanic distribution of total carbon dioxide. It was assumed that the concentration of total carbon dioxide was the sum of three terms: (1) the initial concentration of carbon dioxide, (2) the increase in carbon dioxide due to the oxidation of organic matter, and (3) the increase in carbon dioxide due to the solution of calcium carbonate. The initial concentration of carbon dioxide was calculated by assuming that surface seawater is in equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide. This assumption allowed the temperature dependence of the initial concentration to be estimated. The vertical and horizontal distribution of total carbon dioxide in the Pacific, Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans was shown to conform to this model. In particular, values of the oxidative ratio (ΔC/ΔO) calculated from field data agreed with the theoretical value of Redfield et al. (1963). The model for the distribution of total carbon dioxide was applied to the vertical distribution of carbon-13 at the North Pacific (1969) GEOSECS intercalibration station (Kroopnick, Deuser, and Craig, 1970). Values of δC¹³ calculated from the stoichiometric model agreed to within ± 0.3‰ with the measured values at this station. Near-bottom chemical measurements were made on three cruises: YALOC-69 to the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Y6908F off the Oregon Coast, and TT-46 to the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic. The emphasis during these cruises was on chemical gradients in deep water, and 39 stations were occupied at depths greater than 2000 m. Salinity, oxygen, pH, alkalinity, silicate, phosphate, nitrate, and nitrite were measured at heights from 0.5 to 300 m above the bottom. No measurable salinity, oxygen, silicate, phosphate, nitrate, or nitrite gradients were observed. A statistically significant near-bottom increase in pH and alkalinity was found. However, the increase was small and could have resulted from undetected analytical and/or sampling errors. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Seawater -- Composition |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/29001 |
