Radiocarbon reservoir ages in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea

Abstract

We measured apparent marine radiocarbon ages for the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Red Sea by accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon analyses of 26 modern, pre-bomb mollusk shells collected living between AD 1837 and 1950. The marine reservoir (R(t)) ages were estimated at some 390 ± 85 yr BP, 415 ± 90 yr BP and 440 ± 40 yr BP, respectively. R(t) ages in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea are comparable to those for the North Atlantic Ocean (<65°N), in accordance with the modern oceanic circulation pattern. The Δr values of about 35 ± 70 yr and 75 ± 60 yr in the Mediterranean area show that the global box-diffusion carbon model, used to calculate R(t) ages, reproduces the measured marine 14C R(t) ages in these oceanic areas. Nevertheless, high values of standard deviations, larger than measurement uncertainties are obtained and express decadal R(t) changes. Such large standard deviations are indeed related to a decrease of the apparent marine ages of some 220 yr from 1900 AD to 1930 AD in both the Mediterranean Sea and the western North Atlantic Ocean.