New constraints on the Eastern Mediterranean δ¹⁸O:δD relationship

Abstract. Previous work on oxygen and hydrogen isotope data from Eastern Mediterranean water samples has defined a mixing relationship in this region that is different from the world surface ocean. This prompted speculations about the hydrological processes in the Mediterranean region. We present new δ¹⁸O and δD data from the Eastern Mediterranean region and the East Greenland Current system, spanning a wide salinity range. These data define δ¹⁸O:δD relationships for both regions that are consistent with the world surface ocean δ¹⁸O:δD relationship, despite the highly evaporative conditions that prevail in the Mediterranean region. These new geochemical data have suggested that the world surface ocean &delta¹⁸O:δD relationship holds throughout almost the entire global salinity range.