A.G. Huntsman Award for Excellence in Marine SciencePast Recipient, Dr. William J. Jenkins(2000) |
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| Last Modified: 2009-09-18
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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.