Temporal variation of alkaline earth element/chlorinity ratios in the sargasso sea

Relative enthalpies of sea salt solutions at 0.deg. to 75.deg.

“…An estimate of the relative enthalpies may also be obtained from the heat capacity data of Bromley et al (4). In the temperature range involved, the heat capacity of seawater is given by Cp -CP(W)* (1 x) + x((j)Cpisi) (17) A j = 7.858661 + 0.04424799 t + (0.2129136 X10~2) t2( 0.1837382 X 10"4) t3 + (0.7077757 X 10"7) f4 ( 19) and 6' is given by Equation 14. C°p(s> is a sixth-degree polynomial in t which cancels while evaluating relative enthalpies.…”

“…The properties of seawater depend upon the temperature, pressure, and concentration (and relative amounts) of ions present. If we regard seawater as a binary mixture of sea salts and water, the relative enthalpy of solution, at constant temperature and pressure, is given by L = x0Ls = xLs + (1 -x)Lw (1) where 0LS is-the apparent enthalpy of salts in solution, cal/g salts; Ls is the relative partial enthalpy of salts in solution, cal/g salts; Lw is the relative partial enthalpy of water in solution, cal/g water; and x is the mass fraction of salts in solution.…”

Dissolved Strontium, Sr/Ca Ratios, and the Abundance of Acantharia in the Indian and Southern Oceans

“…The residence time of strontium in the ocean is on the order of 2.5 million years. , On the basis of this alone, one would not expect any water column heterogeneity in strontium concentrations, although there has been some suggestion of variations in the radiogenic strontium isotope ratio ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) of seawater in coastal areas close to riverine input. − Early measurements of dissolved strontium concentrations in seawater were equivocal on whether the concentrations of strontium vary throughout the ocean. − This ambiguity was largely because the analytical error on strontium concentrations was around 1–3% until the late 1960s, similar to the total difference in strontium concentrations now understood between the surface and deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. , It has been suggested that an observed small depletion of dissolved strontium concentrations in the surface ocean results from downward export of the shells of Acantharia. − Sediment trap data from the North Pacific Ocean suggested that the flux of SrSO 4 at 400 m water depth is high, and large numbers of settling cysts of Acantharia have been found at even greater water depths in the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans. , Further support for the assumption that Acantharia play a major role in strontium export from the surface ocean was provided by observations of abundant Acantharia shells in the surface waters of various regions of the world oceans. ,− Some of these studies suggested that Acantharia are often more abundant than Foraminifera and siliceous Radiolaria. However, the skeletons formed by Acantharia are extremely soluble and have been found to rapidly dissolve once they sink below the euphotic zone. − They are not preserved in sediment traps unless specifically targeted and are not found in sediments …”

Analytical methods in oceanography I. Inorganic methods

“…The use of a flame to provide an atomic vapor limits the precision of these procedures to about 1%, almost one order of magnitude greater than the range of variation expected for sodium, potassium and magnesium; variations in calcium and strontium may be barely detectable. Billings et al (1969) have examined the temporal variation of the major ion to chlorinity ratio in the Sargasso Sea using atomic absorption spectrometry. They report the following range of values :…”