Radiocarbon in dissolved organic carbon of the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Marine dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is produced in the surface ocean though its radiocarbon (¹⁴C) age in the deep ocean is thousands of years old. Here we show that >10% of the DOC in the deep North Atlantic is of post-bomb origin and that the ¹⁴C age of pre-bomb DOC is >4900 ¹⁴C yr, ~900 ¹⁴C yr older than previous estimates. We report ¹⁴C ages of DOC in the deep South Atlantic that are intermediate between values in the North Atlantic and the Southern Ocean. Finally, we conclude that DOC ¹⁴C ages are older and a portion of deep DOC is more dynamic than previously reported.