Transient Tracers

	Transient tracers are man-made chemical compounds released to the atmosphere at known quantities that can be used in the ocean to quantify ventilation, transit time distribution and transport time-scales. Measurement of transient tracers in the subsurface ocean thus provides information on the time-scales since the ocean was ventilated, i.e. in contact with the atmosphere. A combination of these tracers provide the means to constrain the transit time distribution (TTD) of a water-mass that allows inference of concentrations or fates of other transient compounds, such as anthropogenic carbon or nitrous oxide.
	Domain:	Ocean
	Subdomain:	Biogeochemical
	Scientific Area:	Carbon Cycle and other GHGs
	Product:	Interior Ocean CFC-12; Interior Ocean CFC-11; Interior Ocean SF6; Interior Ocean Tritium; Interior Ocean 3He; Interior Ocean 14C; Interior Ocean 39Ar