16
GORDON A. RILEY
that would imply an association with particular water masses. A
single exception to this generalization is noted in a station figured by
Menzel and Ryther (1964). This station was at 38"N 65OW. The mean
deepwater carbon was about 74 pgllitre ; there was a large variation of
about 48-106 pg, with a pronounced maximum at a depth of 2 000 m.
The authors did not comment on possible water mass relations, but
waters at this depth commonly lie within the upper limits of the North
Atlantic Deep Water.
The same investigators also graphed a station at 36"N 6 5 " w , which
is included in Fig. 2, and Menzel and Goering (1966) presented average
data for two lines of stations in the western tropical and subtropical
North Atlantic and a station in the Caribbean in which the concentrations were essentially constant with respect to depth below 200 m
and averaged about 18 pg C/litre.
Wangersky and Gordon (1 965) obtained observations in waters
underlying the Guinea Current in a general depth range of 400-1 200 m,
where large values were obtained. They also made deeper stations
farther offshore in non-upwelling areas of the tropical Atlantic and in
the southeastern Sargasso Sea. These declined toward levels of the
sort observed by Menzel and Goering (1966) in the western Atlantic.
Riley et al. (1965) published data obtained from waters near Bermuda on a more or less seasonal basis. Observations obtained between
November and January were markedly higher than other times of the
year in all deep water samples, and two values are given for this area,
representing winter and summer averages. This rather remarkable
seasonal change, later confirmed in other years by Gordon (1970b),
will be discussed later. The latter author is credited with most of the
remainder of the observations in the North Atlantic, but Duursma
(1960), who did classical work on dissolved organic matter in the
North Atlantic, provided data on particulate carbon at one station
which is included in the figure.
Observations in other oceans are inadequate for regional charting,
but a brief review of the literature is in order. Parsons and Strickland
(1962a) analyzed eight samples taken in depths of 500-3 000 m in the
temperate North Pacific and obtained a mean value of about 5 0 p g
C/litre. They also made a biochemical study of this material which
will be discussed in a later section.
Dal Pont and Newell (1963) reported carbon and nitrogen values
for a station in the South Pacific at approximately 34'5 153"E. Thirteen samples taken between 237 and 4 210 m averaged 96 pg C/litre.
The total range was 36-207pg, and vertical variations in carbon
content appeared to be associated with particular water masses.
GORDON A. RILEY
that would imply an association with particular water masses. A
single exception to this generalization is noted in a station figured by
Menzel and Ryther (1964). This station was at 38"N 65OW. The mean
deepwater carbon was about 74 pgllitre ; there was a large variation of
about 48-106 pg, with a pronounced maximum at a depth of 2 000 m.
The authors did not comment on possible water mass relations, but
waters at this depth commonly lie within the upper limits of the North
Atlantic Deep Water.
The same investigators also graphed a station at 36"N 6 5 " w , which
is included in Fig. 2, and Menzel and Goering (1966) presented average
data for two lines of stations in the western tropical and subtropical
North Atlantic and a station in the Caribbean in which the concentrations were essentially constant with respect to depth below 200 m
and averaged about 18 pg C/litre.
Wangersky and Gordon (1 965) obtained observations in waters
underlying the Guinea Current in a general depth range of 400-1 200 m,
where large values were obtained. They also made deeper stations
farther offshore in non-upwelling areas of the tropical Atlantic and in
the southeastern Sargasso Sea. These declined toward levels of the
sort observed by Menzel and Goering (1966) in the western Atlantic.
Riley et al. (1965) published data obtained from waters near Bermuda on a more or less seasonal basis. Observations obtained between
November and January were markedly higher than other times of the
year in all deep water samples, and two values are given for this area,
representing winter and summer averages. This rather remarkable
seasonal change, later confirmed in other years by Gordon (1970b),
will be discussed later. The latter author is credited with most of the
remainder of the observations in the North Atlantic, but Duursma
(1960), who did classical work on dissolved organic matter in the
North Atlantic, provided data on particulate carbon at one station
which is included in the figure.
Observations in other oceans are inadequate for regional charting,
but a brief review of the literature is in order. Parsons and Strickland
(1962a) analyzed eight samples taken in depths of 500-3 000 m in the
temperate North Pacific and obtained a mean value of about 5 0 p g
C/litre. They also made a biochemical study of this material which
will be discussed in a later section.
Dal Pont and Newell (1963) reported carbon and nitrogen values
for a station in the South Pacific at approximately 34'5 153"E. Thirteen samples taken between 237 and 4 210 m averaged 96 pg C/litre.
The total range was 36-207pg, and vertical variations in carbon
content appeared to be associated with particular water masses.