Bacon Michael P.

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Bacon
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Michael P.
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  • Article
    210Po and 210Pb distributions during a phytoplankton bloom in the North Atlantic: Implications for POC export
    (Elsevier, 2020-07-07) Horowitz, Evan J. ; Cochran, J. Kirk ; Bacon, Michael P. ; Hirschberg, David J.
    During the North Atlantic Bloom Experiment (NABE) of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), water column sampling for particulate and dissolved 210Po and 210Pb was performed four times (26 April and 4, 20, 30 May 1989) during a month-long Lagrangian time-series occupation of the NABE site, as well as one-time samplings at stations during transit to and from the site. There are few prior studies documenting short-term changes in 210Po and 210Pb profiles over the course of a phytoplankton bloom, and we interpret the profiles in terms of the classical “steady-state” (SS) approach used in most studies, as well as by using a non-steady state approach suggested by the temporal evolution of the profiles. Changes in 210Po profiles during a bloom are expectable as this radionuclide is scavenged and exported. During NABE, 210Pb profiles also displayed non-steady state, with significant increases in upper water column inventory occurring midway through the experiment. Export of 210Po from the upper 150 m using the classic “steady-state” model shows increases from 0.5 ± 8.5 dpm m−2 d−1 to 68.2 ± 4.2 dpm m−2 d−1 over the ~one-month occupation. Application of a non-steady state model, including changes in both 210Pb and 210Po profiles, gives higher 210Po export fluxes. Detailed depth profiles of particulate organic carbon (>0.8 μm) and particulate 210Po (>0.4 μm) are available from the 20 and 30 May samplings and show maxima in POC/Po at ~37 m. Applying the POC/210Po ratios at 150 m to the “steady state” 210Po fluxes yields POC export from the upper 150 m of 8.2 ± 1.5 mmol C m− 2 d−1 on 20 May and 6.0 ± 1.6 mmol C m−2 d−1 on 30 May. The non-steady state model applied to the interval 20 to 30 May yields POC export of 24.3 mmol C m−2 d−1. The non-steady state (NSS) 210Po-derived POC fluxes are comparable to, but somewhat less than, those estimated previously from 234Th/238U disequilibrium for the same time interval (37.3 and 45.0 mmol m−2 d−1, depending on the POC/Th ratio used). In comparison, POC fluxes measured with a floating sediment trap deployed at 150 m from 20 to 30 May were 11.6 mmol m−2 d−1. These results suggest that non-steady state Po-derived POC fluxes during the NABE agree well with those derived from 234Th/238U disequilibrium and agree with sediment trap fluxes within a factor of ~2. However, unlike the 234Th-POC flux proxy, non-steady stage changes in profiles of 210Pb, the precursor of 210Po, must be considered.
  • Article
    Comment on “Do geochemical estimates of sediment focusing pass the sediment test in the equatorial Pacific?” by M. Lyle et al.
    (American Geophysical Union, 2007-03-06) Francois, Roger ; Frank, Martin ; Rutgers van der Loeff, Michiel M. ; Bacon, Michael P. ; Geibert, Walter ; Kienast, Stephanie S. ; Anderson, Robert F. ; Bradtmiller, Louisa I. ; Chase, Zanna ; Henderson, Gideon M. ; Marcantonio, Franco ; Allen, Susan E.
  • Technical Report
    A large-volume, deep-sea submersible pumping system
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1989-11) Sachs, Peter L. ; Hammar, Terence R. ; Bacon, Michael P.
    Eight self-contained, in-situ pumps have been used effectively and routinely by our group for the past six years to collect both particulate and dissolved phases from large volumes of sea water. Multiple pumps are rapidly and easily deployed on the same wire, to any ocean depth, in almost any weather. Each is capable of drawing up to 200 liters per hour through four large Nuclepore™ filters, then through three cartridge filters. Pumping is controlled by a Sharp™ pocket computer suitably interfaced with the pump motor and flow meter. Endurance is about 15 hours. Total flow and flow rate are recorded, respectively, by a mechanical flow meter and the computer.
  • Technical Report
    Applications of PB-210/RA-226 and PO-210/PB-210 disequilibria in the study of marine geochemical processes
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1976-02) Bacon, Michael P.
    The distribution of Pb-210 and Po-210 in dissolved (0.4 micron) phases has been measured at ten stations in the tropical and eastern North Atlantic and at two stations in the Pacific. Both radionuclides occur principally in the dissolved phase. Unsupported Pb-210 activities, maintained by flux from the atmosphere, are present in the surface mixed layer and penetrate into the thermocline to depths of about 500 m. Dissolved Po-210 is ordinarily present in the mixed layer at less than equilibrium concentrations, suggesting rapid biological removal of this nuclide. Particulate matter is enriched in Po-210, with Po-210/Pb-210 activity ratios greater than 1.0, similar to those reported for phytoplankton. Box-model calculations yield a 2-y residence time for Pb-210 and a 0.6-y residence time for Po-210 in the mixed layer. These residence times are considerably longer than the time calculated for turnover of particles in the mixed layer (about 0.1 y). At depths of 100-300 m, Po-210 maxima occur and unsupported Po-210 is frequently present. Calculations indicate that at least 50% of the Po-210 removed from the mixed layer is recycled within the thermocline. Similar calculations for Pb-210 suggest much lower recycling efficiencies. Comparison of the Pb-210 distribution with the reported distribution of Ra-226 at nearby GEOSECS. stations has confirmed the widespread existence of a Pb-210/Ra-226 disequilibrium in the deep sea. Vertical profiles of particulate Pb-210 were used to test the hypothesis that Pb-210 is removed from deepwater by in situ scavenging. With the exception of one profile taken near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, significant vertical gradients in particulate Pb-210 concentration were not observed, and it is necessary to invoke exceptionally high particle sinking velocities (>10 m/d) to account for the inferred Pb-210 flux. It is proposed that an additional sink for Pb-210 in the deep sea must be sought. Estimates of the dissolved Pb-210/Ra-226 activity ratio at depths greater than 1,000 m range from 0.2 to 0.8 and reveal a systematic increase, in both vertical and horizontal directions, with increasing distance from the sea floor. This observation implies rapid scavenging of Pb-210 at the sediment-water interface and is consistent with a horizontal eddy diffusivity of 3-6 x 107 cm2/s. The more reactive element Po, on the other hand, shows evidence of rapid in situ scavenging. In filtered sea water, Po-210 is deficient, on the average, by ca. 10% relative to Pb-210; a corresponding enrichment is found in the particulate phase. Total inventories of Pb-210 and Po-210 over the entire water column, however, show no significant departure from secular equilibrium, and reliable estimates of particle sinking rates cannot be made.
  • Technical Report
    A modified wire clamp system for thirty-liter Niskin bottles
    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1988-11) Hammar, Terence R. ; Sachs, Peter L. ; Bacon, Michael P.
    A modified clamping system for 30-liter Niskin bottles, consisting of a wire stop, a socket block, and a toggle clamp, has been designed and has been tested at sea. The modified system makes deployment and recovery of the Niskin bottles considerably easier than it is with the standard clamps .
  • Article
    Th-230 normalization : an essential tool for interpreting sedimentary fluxes during the late Quaternary
    (American Geophysical Union, 2004-03-05) Francois, Roger ; Frank, Martin ; Rutgers van der Loeff, Michiel M. ; Bacon, Michael P.
    There is increasing evidence indicating that syndepositional redistribution of sediment on the seafloor by bottom currents is common and can significantly affect sediment mass accumulation rates. Notwithstanding its common incidence, this process (generally referred to as sediment focusing) is often difficult to recognize. If redistribution is near synchronous to deposition, the stratigraphy of the sediment is not disturbed and sediment focusing can easily be overlooked. Ignoring it, however, can lead to serious misinterpretations of sedimentary fluxes, particularly when past changes in export flux from the overlying water are inferred. In many instances, this problem can be resolved, at least for sediments deposited during the late Quaternary, by normalizing to the flux of 230Th scavenged from seawater, which is nearly constant and equivalent to the known rate of production of 230Th from the decay of dissolved 234U. We review the principle, advantages and limitations of this method. Notwithstanding its limitations, it is clear that 230Th normalization does provide a means of achieving more accurate interpretations of sedimentary fluxes and eliminates the risk of serious misinterpretations of sediment mass accumulation rates.