ABSTRACT

Total dissolvable manganese in sea water was measured vertically from the surface to the bottom at 10 stations in the Bering Sea and the northern North Pacific Ocean. High concentrations of manganese were found in the surface and the bottom layers in the Bering Sea, suggesting that the surface water in the continental shelf region and the surface sediment were the principal sources of manganese. In the northern North Pacific, concentrations of manganese increased toward the Bering Sea. This result suggests that the water outflowing from the Bering Sea basin is a significant source of manganese to the northern North Pacific intermediate and deep waters. From manganese budget in the Bering Sea, the residence time of manganese in the Bering Sea and the outflow of manganese to the northern North Pacific from the Bering Sea were estimated to be approximately 8 years and 5 × 10⁹ gMn/yr, respectively. The overall balance showed no net accumulation of TDMn within the Bering Sea, indicating that almost all TDMn supplied was transported to the North Pacific and Arctic oceans.