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WILLIAM
JENKINS (2000)
Dr.
Jenkins, the twenty-third recipient of the A. G. Huntsman Award, is
honoured in recognition of his development of the tritium-helium dating
technique and its application to studies of ocean circulation, mixing and
productivity. The analytical methods developed by Dr. Jenkins use the
large scale addition of tritium to the oceans as a result of atmospheric
testing of nuclear weapons in the 1950s and 1960s, and provide unique
tools for studying mixing processes in the upper ocean. As the tritium has
decayed and undergone dilution by mixing, it has been essential for Dr.
Jenkins to continually improve the sensitivity of his methods. He has
developed state-of-the-art advection-diffusion models and
three-dimensional graphic simulations which allow estimation of water mass
velocities and mixing rates over time scales that were previously
inaccessible. He was also one of the first to point out that simple
vertical mixing processes could not explain the observed distribution of
tracers, and developed quantitative models which demonstrate the
importance of isopycnal mixing and advection. He also showed that
tritium-helium ages could be used to calculate oxygen utilization rates
finding values higher than expected. These results led to the conclusion
that earlier measurements of new production were too low. He has also made
fundamental contributions to solid earth geochemistry through studies of
seafloor hydrothermal systems. He is one of those rare people who can make
superb measurements and formulate sound, quantitative models for the
insightful interpretation of these data. Throughout his career, his
research has illuminated key oceanographic processes and advanced our
understanding of global climate mechanisms.
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