Erlangen 2022 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 18: Laser and Laser Applications
Q 18.2: Talk
Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 10:45–11:00, Q-H15
Argon Trap Trace Analysis: Applications on age determination in ocean science and stratified lakes — •Yannis Arck2, Julian Robertz1, Maximilian Schmidt1,2, David Wachs1,2, Florian Meienburg1,2, Werner Aeschbach2,3, and Markus Oberthaler1 — 1Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg, Germany — 2Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg, Germany — 3Heidelberg Center for the Environment, Heidelberg, Germany
The radioisotope 39Ar serves as an environmental tracer in natural science. It is an inert noble gas with a half-life of 269 years, thus suited for dating processes in the age range of 50 to 1000 years. Due to the relative atmospheric abundance of only 10−15, a special quantum-optical technology analysis method is required, if the desired sample sizes should not exceed 10 L of water. In Heidelberg, Argon Trap Trace Analysis (ArTTA) has emerged over the last few years to provide major advances in applicability concerning this difficult tracer.
This is especially relevant for oceanographic studies. In summer 2021, ocean water samples were collected during the Synoptic Artic Survey onboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden. The aim is to investigate circulation and ventilation patterns in combination with noble gas saturation anomalies in the central Arctic Ocean to estimate the uptake of anthropogenic carbon. The most recently completed campaign was on the stratification of Lake Kivu, located in central Africa, a region strongly influenced by volcanic activity. This 450 m deep lake has several resilient stratified layers caused by subsurface groundwater and volcanic gas intrusions. Both studies will be presented in this talk.