1. Isotope Chemistry in Oceanography
GEOL 1033
(Lesson 24,
especially p. 161 in the Study Guide)
Ppt file

2. Isotopes
Isotopes = same atomic number (= # protons in nucleus), but different atomic weight (= # protons + # neutrons in nucleus)
Number of neutrons in nucleus varies, so atomic weight varies accordingly
Physical properties will vary slightly from isotope to isotope of the same element
Some isotopes are unstable, i. e., radioactive
Used to study some oceanographic phenomena
(Sr-90 example)
Two commonly used isotopes are
Carbon-14
Oxygen-18

3. Carbon-14
Used to date carbon-bearing materials, e. g., shells, wood, etc.
Carbon isotopes
12C is the most common
13C is uncommon
14C is rare & radioactive
Forms from 14N in upper atm.
From cosmic ray bombardment
Decays back to 14N with a half-life of years
Used for dating up to 50 k years (usually) to about 100 k years (special circumstances) ago

4. Half-Life Concept of a Radioactive Isotope
3/4
7/8
1/2
1/2
All 14C
1/4
1/8
T = 0 y
T = y
T = 2 x y
T = 3 x y
Time it takes for each successive half of the remaining amount of the isotope to decay
Example: if a ratio (R) of 14C (parent material) to 14N (daughter product) is 14C / 14N,
then (1/8) ÷ (7/8) = (0.125) ÷ (0.875) = 0.143,
so the age is x 5730 y = y.
Example: <10 k y old shallow-water shell beds of the outer continental shelf were dated this way, indicating lower sea levels during and soon after the continental glaciers of the last ice age began to recede.

5. Oxygen-18 Oxygen isotopes: 16O = most common = about 99.7% of total O
17O = very little amount
18O = least abundant, but “heaviest”
Ratio of 18O / 16O is a temperature indicator and a measure of glacial ice volume.
If you analyze tropical foraminiferal tests (=shells) deposited on the deep-sea floor during a past ice age,
Ratios show higher 18O level, meaning higher concentration in oceans at that time (when the forams were alive)
Evaporation of water from oceans favours the lighter isotope
Lighter isotope becomes preferentially concentrated in continental glaciers after precipitation.
Heavier isotope stays behind & is concentrated in seawater.
The normal ratio is restored in later foram tests when glaciers melt and return the water to the ocean basins

6. Using 180 for Paleoclimate Studies
Comparison of 18O/16O ratios for Atlantic Ocean surface waters to calculated summertime solar insolation in the northern hemisphere for the last years

7. Using 180 for Correlation Studies
Correlating sediments in Pacific and Caribbean cores for last 700 k y

8. End of File