Stable isotopes in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean: Indicators of ocean-atmosphere water fluxes and oceanic mixing processes

Marion Benetti (1, 2) , Gilles Reverdin (3) , Giovanni Aloisi (4) , Árný Erla Sveinbjörnsdóttir (1)

1 Institute of Earth Sciences [Reykjavik]
2 LOCEAN - Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques
3 IPSO - Interactions et Processus au sein de la couche de Surface Océanique
4 BTP - Biogéochimie-Traceurs-Paléoclimat

The surface ocean hydrological cycle is explored based on ~ 300 new $\delta^{18}$O and $\delta^{18}$D measurements from surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea over the period 2010–2016. Our approach combines these surface observations with salinity (S) and stable isotope measurements of atmospheric water vapor. The distinct regional S-$\delta$ distributions are used to identify different surface water masses and their horizontal advection. Moreover, based on assumptions on the $\delta$-S characteristics of seawater sources and the isotope composition of the evaporative ($\delta_e$) and meteoric water ($\delta_{MW}$) fluxes, the $\delta$-S distribution is used to indicate the relative importance of evaporation (E) and meteoric water inputs (MW). Here $\delta_e$ is estimated from the Craig and Gordon’s equation using 120 days of measurements of the ambient air above the Atlantic Ocean collected during three cruises. To provide quantitative estimates of the E:MW ratio, we use the box model from Craig and Gordon (1965). This identifies the subtropical gyre as a region where E:MW ~ 2 and the tropical ocean as a region were MW:E ~ 2. Finally, we show that the $\delta^{18}$O-$\delta$D distribution is better represented by a linear fit than the $\delta$-S relationship, even in basins governed by different hydrological processes. We interpret the $\delta^{18}$O-$\delta$D distribution considering the kinetic fractionation processes associated with evaporation. In the tropical region where MW exceeds E, the $\delta^{18}$O-$\delta$D distribution identifies the MW inputs from their kinetic signature, whereas in regions where E exceeds MW, the $\delta^{18}$O-$\delta$D distribution traces the humidity at the sea surface.

Domaines: Géophysique [physics.geo-ph]

Marion Benetti, Gilles Reverdin, Giovanni Aloisi, Árný Erla Sveinbjörnsdóttir. Stable isotopes in surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean: Indicators of ocean-atmosphere water fluxes and oceanic mixing processes. Journal of Geophysical Research. Oceans, 2017, 122 (6), pp.4723 - 4742. ⟨10.1002/2017JC012712⟩. ⟨hal-01685203⟩