Iodine speciation and iodine-129 distribution in the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea

Obata, Hajime*; Miwa, Kazuji*; Kondo, Yoshiko*; Gamo, Toshitaka*; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Suzuki, Takashi

no journal, , 

Distributions chemical species of iodine (iodide, iodate and organic iodine) in seawater were investigated in the Chukchi Sea and Bering Sea, Arctic northern marginal seas. I, which is a good tracer for anthropogenically released iodine to the marine environments, were also revealed by this study. Iodide concentrations in seawater often increased toward the seafloor. This tendency was remarkable with iodide and organic iodine, indicating that these iodine species are released from the sediments of the continental shelf. Concentrations of I ranged from 0.79 to 2.8910 atom/L. While this level was several times higher than those in the North Pacific, significant increase of I concentration due to seawater inflow from the North Atlantic was not observed. Considering latitudinal range of this study area, it can be estimated that most I detected by this study was derived by atmospheric deposition of I originates from Europe.