Reconstructing surface ocean circulation with 129I time series records from corals

The long-lived radionuclide I-129 (half-life: 15.7 x 10(6) yr) is well-known as a useful environmental tracer. At present, the global I-129 in surface water is about 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than pre-1960 levels. Since the 1990s, anthropogenic I-129 produced from industrial nuclear fuels reprocessing plants has been the primary source of I-129 in marine surface waters of the Atlantic and around the globe. Here we present four coral I-129 time series records from: 1) Con Dao and 2) Xisha Islands, the South China Sea, 3) Rabaul, Papua New Guinea and 4) Guam. The Con Dao coral I-129 record features a sudden increase in I-129 in 1959. The Xisha coral shows similar peak values for I-129 as the Con Dao coral, punctuated by distinct low values, likely due to the upwelling in the central South China Sea. The Rabaul coral features much more gradual I-129 increases in the 1970s, similar to a published record from the Solomon Islands. The Guam coral I-129 record contains the largest measured values for any site, with two large peaks, in 1955 and 1959. Nuclear weapons testing was the primary I-129 source in the Western Pacific in the latter part of the 20th Century, notably from testing in the Marshall Islands. The Guam 1955 peak and Con Dao 1959 increases are likely from the 1954 Castle Bravo test, and the Operation Hardtack I test is the most likely source of the 1959 peak observed at Guam. Radiogenic iodine found in coral was carried primarily through surface ocean currents. The coral I-129 time series data provide a broad picture of the surface distribution and depth penetration of I-129 in the Pacific Ocean over the past 60 years. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.