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Article: Tracers of Ocean-Water Masses
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- Water:Science and Issues
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Tracers of Ocean-Water Masses
The oceans, atmosphere, continents and cryosphere are part of Earth's tightly connected climate system. The ocean's role in the climate system involves the transport,
sequestration
, and exchange of heat, fresh water, and carbon dioxide (CO
2
) between the other components of the system.
When waters descend below the ocean surface, they carry with them dissolved atmospheric gases. The time-dependent
tracers
in the oceans provide information on which waters have been in contact with the atmosphere on various timescales. They also give information on the ocean circulation and its variability.
The timescale information is needed to understand and to assess the ...