ANTARCTIC INTERMEDIATE WATER INTRUSION INTO SOUTH-ATLANTIC BIGHT SHELF WATERS

Surface seawater samples were collected from seven stations on the coastline bordering the South Atlantic Bight and the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight in March 1986 and analysed for radiocarbon. Depletion in radiocarbon activity was observed in shelf water along the South Carolina coast at Myrtle Beach and Isle of Palms. If Sargasso Sea surface water with DELTA-C-14 = 168 parts-per-thousand and Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) with DELTA-C-14 = 90 parts-per-thousand are two end members which supply water to this coastal region, a contribution of about 20-25% AAIW is required to produce the DELTA-C-14 values observed.