The distribution of ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁶Ra in the surface waters of the northern North Pacific

Abstract

New data on ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁶Ra concentrations in the northern North Pacific are presented. Due to upwelling in the northern latitudes, ²²⁶Ra concentration is twice as much as that of the mid Pacific. The trend in the variation of surface ²²⁶Ra and dissolved SiO₂ concentrations appears to be the same in the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. A map of ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratio in the surface water of the Pacific Ocean was constructed based on our data and those in the literature. The high ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratio follows the prevailing surface currents such as the Kuroshio and the California Currents with low values at the center of the subarctic and the mid North Pacific gyres. The map is useful to identify the fluvial, coastal and shelf influences in the surface open ocean.