Abstract
A general radiocarbon survey was conducted for the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent areas. A wide variety of samples was run in an effort to determine current levels of radiocarbon activity in Gulf coast rivers, the atmosphere, sedimentary samples, the marine biosphere, and seawater. The survey emphasized the detection of manmade or 'bomb' ¹⁴C from the 1961-1962 nuclear weapons tests. Bomb ¹⁴C was found in many of the samples, although to varying degrees of enrichment. River water appeared to have average Δ¹⁴C values of about +100°/.., but no distinct trends with respect to location or time were evident. It was also found that for the 1970-1971 period atmospheric CO₂ had an average ¹⁴C enrichment of about 470°/.., although the trend was toward decreasing activity with time due to uptake of ¹⁴CO₂ by the ocean surface and dilution of ¹⁴CO₂ by ¹²CO₂ due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Sedimentary samples were from two sources: coral and carbonate cores. The coral, Acropora cervicornis, contained bomb ¹⁴C and reflected the ¹⁴C content of the surrounding seawater. This indicated a potential use in detecting phenomena changing the radiocarbon content of seawater, such as upwelling. The carbonate coretops from the Campeche slope area, however, contained no bomb ¹⁴C, probably because the upper portion of the sediment column had been removed by scouring or slumping. ...
Mathews, Thomas Delbert (1972). The contemporary geochemistry of radiocarbon in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -185373.