(Table 1) Dissolved Hafnium and Neodymium in the South Atlantic measured on water bottle samples during POLARSTERN cruise ANT-XXIV/3

We present the first combined dissolved hafnium (Hf) and neodymium (Nd) concentrations and isotope compositions of deep water masses from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Eight full depth profiles were analyzed for Hf and twelve for Nd. Hafnium concentrations are generally depleted in the upper few hundred meters ranging between 0.2 pmol/kg and 0.4 pmol/kg and increase to relatively constant values of around 0.6 pmol/kg in the deeper water column. At the stations north of the Polar Front (PF), Nd concentrations increase linearly from about 10 pmol/kg at depths of ~ 200 m to up to 31 pmol/kg close to the bottom indicating particle scavenging and release. Within the Weddell Gyre (WG), however, Nd concentrations are essentially constant at 25 pmol/kg at depths greater than ~ 1000 m. The distributions of both elements show a positive correlation with dissolved silicon implying a close linkage to diatom biogeochemistry. […]