Mechanisms controlling the global oceanic distribution of the inert gases argon, nitrogen and neon

Dissolved inert gas measurements in the ocean yield important information about processes that occur during water mass formation. We present argon, nitrogen, and neon data from the subtropical and subpolar North Pacific and the subtropical North Atlantic. All three gases were supersaturated at the surface. In the deep ocean, Ar and N2 were undersaturated while Ne remained supersaturated. All the data fell within the range predicted by a quasi-steady-state mixed-layer model that allows only temperature change, and diffusive and bubble-mediated gas exchange. This result suggests that these three processes are the first order controls on the global oceanic distribution of inert gas saturations.