Radiocarbon in Dissolved Organic and Inorganic Carbon From the Central North Pacific

Abstract

Radiocarbon measurements are reported for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC) from seawater samples collected from the Alcyone-5 cruise in the central North Pacific Ocean in 1985. Differences between the UV-radiation techniques used here and those reported by Williams, Oeschger and Kinney (1969) to oxidize and recover the DOC from sea water are presented. UV unoxidizable DOC in these samples is discussed in a separate publication (Druffel, Williams & Suzuki, 1989). We briefly discuss the penetration of the bomb ¹⁴C signal into the DOC and DIC pools. The temporal variability of Δ ¹⁴C in DIC in surface samples taken every 2–3 days is presented. Concentrations of total dissolved free (FAA) plus combined (hydrolyzable) amino acids (THAA) and total dissolved carbohydrates (TCHO) measured in the same water samples are also reported. Our main aim is to present the chemical and isotopic data from samples collected during the Alcyone-5 cruise. Detailed interpretation is published elsewhere.