Studies of deep water formation and circulation in the Weddell Sea using natural and anthropogenic tracers

The application of natural and anthropogenic trace substances in oceanographie studies of the Weddell Sea is reviewed. The potential of some steady-state and transient tracers (tritium, CFC-11 and CFC-12, 18O, and helium isotopes) for studies of deep water formation and circulation is discussed on the basis of data sets collected mainly on cruises of R/V “Polarstern” to the Weddell Sea during the 1980s. CFC/tritium ratio dating of young water masses is applied to estimate mean age and transit times of water involved in Weddell Sea Bottom Water formation. The history of the CFC-11/tritium ratio through time is derived for Weddell Sea shelf waters.