Karl K. Turekian
Sterling Professor of Geology & Geophysics

Geochemistry of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth-surface Processes and Planetary Evolution


Editorships:
  • Editorial Board, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(1996-Dec 2000)
  • Past Editor, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta(Jan. 1997- Dec. 1999)
  • Past Editor, Global Biogeochemical Cycles(Jan. 1990- Dec. 1995)
  • Past Editor, Earth & Planetary Science Letters(1975-89)
  • Past Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research, Oceans and Atmospheres(1969-75)

    • Honors:
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences
  • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

    • Current Research:
    1. Radioactive and radiogenic isotope measurements in Earth materials provide useful approaches to the study of terrestrial and cosmic processes. Our laboratory has used these tools to address problems as diverse as the circulation of Long Island Sound and the cosmic dust flux to our planet. A few of the projects are listed: 1. Air samples and atmospheric precipitation are analyzed for 222Rn(radon) daughters such as 210Pb and 214Pb as well as cosmogenically produced 7Be and 35S to determine: (a) the residence times of aerosols in different layers of the troposphere via 214Pb, 210Pb and 7Be, (b) the sources of ozone found in the troposphere based on correlations with 7Be and 210Pb, and (c) the oxidation and precipitation kinetics(including dry deposition) of SO2 based on cosmogenic 35S measurements.

    2. The radioactive decay of 187Re (half-life ~ 4.6x1010 years) produces 187Os. The ratio of 187Os to non-radiogenic Os(nominally represented by either 186Os or 188Os) in rocks undergoing weathering is determined by the Re/Os of the rock and its age. The variation in the relative sources of weathered material (high 187Os/186Os from continental crust, low 187Os/186Os from mantle-derived rocks) is sensed by contemporary sea water osmium and ultimately recorded in accumulating marine sediments. The tectonic history of the past 100 million years is inferred from Os isotope measurements in deep-sea deposits.

    3. The measurement of 222Rn(3.4 d), 226Ra(1620 y), 228Ra(5.7 y) and 224Ra(3.6 d) in Long Island Sound water profiles provides information on the mean residence time of water in the Sound as well as the flux of nutrient-rich water from the New York City area. The radium isotopes also indicate the horizontal mixing rates in the Sound.

    4. The 222Rn and radium isotopes measured in groundwaters also indicate the retardation factors affecting the movement of cations, some of interest in nuclear waste disposal studies.

    5. The cosmic dust flux to Earth is determined from the Os flux with the unique meteoric 187Os/186Os. Comparison with another cosmic dust tracer, 3He, provides information on the transport of different size components of the dust through the atmosphere and the oceans before reaching the ocean floor.

    6. 87Sr/86Sr of sea water and streams have been shown by others to be a way of translating this ratio into the salinity of coastal waters. Applications to environments of the Mesozoic provide the possibility of working out the life habitats of ancient coastal organisms.

    7. Planetary degassing as seen through the study of radiogenic 40Ar provides clues to the rates of recycling of carbon and water through the mantle. These evaluations depend on understanding the composition of the crust and direct measurements of 40Ar flux from the solid earth to the atmosphere.

    8. Oxygen isotope signatures preserved in seawater phosphate and phosphatic deposits such as fish debris provide information on the sites of enzymatic equilibration in the water column, and consequently paleothermometry of ancient marine fish habitats.

    Classes Taught:
  • Global Environmental Change
  • Marine Surficial and Atmospheric Geochemistry
  • Geochemical Approaches to Archaeology
  • Seminar in Global Change

    • Recent Publications:
    Turekian, K.K., 2006, Threads: A life in geochemistry. Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., v. 34, 1-35.

    Turekian, K.K., Sharma, M. and Williams Gordon, G., 2007, The behavior of natural and anthropogenic osmium in the Hudson River-Long Island Sound estuarine systems. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, Submitted

    Turekian, K.K. and Bacon, M.P., 2003, Geochronometry of marine deposits, pp. 321-341. In The Oceans and Marine Chemistry (Ed. H. Elderfield) Vol. 6 Treatise on Geochemistry (ed. H.D. Holland and K.K. Turekian) Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford.

    Turekian, K.K. and Graustein, W.C., 2003, Natural radionuclides in the atmosphere, pp. 261-279. In The Atmosphere (ed. R.F. Keeling) Vol.4 Treatise on Geochemistry (eds. H.D. Holland and K.K. Turekian) Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford.

    Porcelli, D. and Turekian, K.K., 2003, The history of planetary degassing as recorded by noble gases, pp. 281-318. In The Atmosphere (ed. R.F. Keeling) Vol. 4 Treatise on Geochemistry (eds. H,D. Holland and K.K. Turekian) Elsevier-Pergamon, Oxford.

    Cochran, J. K., Landman, N.H., Turekian, K.K., Michard, A. and Schrag, D.P., 2003, Paleoceanography of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America: Evidence from Sr and O isotopes. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleocology, v.191, 45-64.

    Williams, G. and Turekian, K.K., 2002, The atmospheric supply of osmium to the oceans. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v. 66, 3789-3791.

    Thomas, E., Turekian, K.K. and Wei, K.-Y., 2000, Productivity control of fine particle transport to equatorial Pacific sediment. Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles, v. 14, 945-955.

    Lamborg, C.H., Fitzgerald, W.F., Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K. 2000, An examination of the atmospheric chemistry of mercury using 210Pb and 7Be. J. Atmos. Chem., v36, 325-338.

    Craig, H., Somayajulu, B.L.K. and Turekian, K.K., 2000, Paradox lost: Silicon 32 and the global ocean silica cycle. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v175, 297-308.

    Huang, S. Rahn, K.A., Arimoto, R., Graustein, W.C., and Turekian K.K., 1999, Semiannual cycles of pollution at Bermuda. J. Geophys. Res. v104, 30309-30318.

    Marcantonio, F., Turekian, K.K., Higgins, S., Anderson, R.F., Stute, M. and Schlosser, P., 1999, The accretion rate of extraterrestrial 3He based on oceanic 230Th flux and the relation to Os isotope variation over the past 200 thousand years in an Indian Ocean core. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters. v170, 157-168.

    Arimoto, R., Snow, J.A., Graustein, W.C., Moody, J.L., Ray, B.J., Duce, R.A., Turekian, K.K. and Maring, H.B., 1999, Influences of atmospheric transport pathways on radioactive activities in aerosol particles from over the North Atlantic. J. Geophys. Res. v104, 21301-21316.

    Pegram, W.J. and Turekian, K.K., 1999, The osmium isotopic composition change of Cenozoic sea water. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., v36, 325-338.

    Turekian, V. C., Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1999, The 214Bi to 214Pb ratio in lower boundary layer aerosols and aerosol residence times at New Haven, Connecticut. J. Geophys. Res., v104, 11593-11598.

    Turekian, K.K. and Pegram, W.J., 1997, Os isotope record in a Cenozoic deep-sea core: its relation to global tectonics and climate. 383-397  in Tectonic uplift and Climate Cahnge (Ed. W. Ruddiman), Plenum.

    Williams, G., Marcantonio, F. and Turekian, K. K., 1997, The behavior of natural and anthropogenic osmium in Long Island Sound, an urban estuary in the eastern U.S. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v148, 341-347.

    Torgersen, T., Turekian, K. K., Turekian, V. C., Tanaka, N., DeAngelo, E. and O'Donnell, J., 1996, 224Ra distribution in surface and deep water of Long Island Sound: Sources and horizontal transport rates, Cont. Shelf Res., v16, 1545-1559.

    Turekian, K.K., 1996, (BOOK), Global Environmental Change: Past, Present and Future. Prentice-Hall, 200.

    Turekian, K.K., Krishnaswami, S., Ribe, N.M. and Reinitz, I.M., 1996, Radioactive disequilibrium among 238U series nuclides in recent volcanic rocks: a model for chronology and mechanism of formation. Geochemistry International, v33, 1-14.

    Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1996, 7Be and 210Pb indicate an upper troposphere source for elevated ozone in the summertime subtropical free troposphere of the eastern North Atlantic, Geophys. Res. Letters, v 23, 539-542.

    Turekian, K.K., Tanaka, N., Turekian, V.C., Torgersen, T. and DeAngelo, E.C., 1996, Transfer rates of dissolved tracers through estuaries based on 228Ra: A study of Long Island Sound. Cont Shelf Res, v 16, 863-873.

    Prospero, J.M., Schmitt, R., Cuevas, E., Savoie, D., Graustein, W.C., Turekian, K.K., Volz-Thomas, A., Diaz, A., Oltmans, S. and Levy, H., 1995, Temporal variability of summer-time ozone and aerosols in the free troposphere over the eastern North Atlantic. Geophys. Res. Letters, v 22, 2925-2925.

    Tanaka, N. and Turekian, K.K., 1995, The determination of the dry deposition flux of SO2 using cosmogenic 35S and 7Be measurements. J. Geophys. Res., v 100, 2841-2848.

    Pegram, W.J., Esser, B.K., Krishnaswami, S. and Turekian, K.K., 1994, The isotopic composition of leachable osmium from river sediments. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 128, 591-599.

    Turekian, K.K., 1994, Global change. Geotimes, v 39, (February), 24.

    Esser, B.K. and Turekian, K.K., 1993, Anthropogenic osmium in coastal deposits. Envi. Sci. Tech., v 27, 2719-2724.

    Richter, F.M. and Turekian, K.K., 1993, Simple models for the geochemical response of the ocean to climatic and tectonic forcing, Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 119, 121-131.

    Balkanski, Y.J., Jacob, D.J., Gardner, G.M., Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1993, Transport and residence times of continental aerosols inferred from a global three-dimensional simulation of 210Pb, J. Geophys. Res., v 98, 20,573-20,586.

    Esser, B.K. and Turekian, K.K., 1993, The osmium isotopic composition of the continental crust. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 57, 3093-3104.

    Copenhaver, S.A., Krishnaswami, S., Turekian, K.K., Epler, N. and Cochran, J.K., 1993, Retardation of 238U and 232Th decay chain radionuclides in Long Island and Connecticut aquifers. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 57, 597-603.

    Colodner, D., Sachs, J., Ravizza, G.E., Turekian, K.K., Edmond, J. and Boyle, E., 1993, The geochemical cycle of rhenium: A reconnaissance. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 117, 205-221.

    Copenhaver, S.A., Krishnaswami, S., Turekian, K.K. and Shaw, H., 1992, 238U and 232Th series nuclides in groudwater from the J-12 well at the Nevada Test Site: Implications for ion retardation. Geophys. Res. Letters, v 19, 1383-1386.

    Savoie, D., Prospero, J.M., Oltmans, S., Graustein, W.C., Turekian, K.K., Merrill, J.T. and Levy, H., 1992, Sources of nitrate and ozone in the marine boundary layer of the tropical North Atlantic. J. Geophys. Res., v 97, 11,575-11589.

    Pegram, W.J., Krishnaswami, S., Ravizza, G.E. and Turekian, K.K., 1992, The record of seawater 187Os/186Os variation through the Cenozoic. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 113, 569-576.

    Turekian, K.K. and Tanaka, N., 1992, The use of cosmogenic 35S and 7Be in determining depositional fluxes of SO2. Geophys. Res. Letters, v 19, 1767-1770.

    Ravizza, G.E. and Turekian, K.K., 1992, The osmium isotopic composition of organic-rich marine sediments. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 110, 1-6.

    Turekian, K.K. and Pegram, W.J., 1992, Rhenium-Osmium Geochronometry, 1993 McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology, 93-95.

    Tanaka, N. and Turekian, K.K., 1991, The use of cosmogenic 35S to determine the rates of removal of atmospheric SO2. Nature, v 352, 226-228.

    Reinitz, I.M. and Turekian, K.K., 1991, The behavior of the uranium decay chain nuclides and thorium during the flank eruptions of Kilauea (Hawaii) between 1983 and 1985. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 55, 3735-3740.

    Ravizza, G.E., Turekian, K.K. and Hay, B.J., 1991, The geochemistry of Re and Os in recent sediments from the Black Sea. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 55, 3741-3752.

    Martin, C.E., Esser, B.K. and Turekian, K.K., 1991, Re-Os isotopic constraints on the formation of mantle and crustal reservoirs. Austrl. J. Earth Sci, v 38, 569-576.

    Tanaka, N., Turekian, K.K. and Rye, D.M., 1991, The radiocarbon, d13C, 210Pb, and 137Cs record in box cores from the continental margin of the Middle Atlantic Bight. Amer. J. Sci., v 291, 90-105.

    Reinitz, I., and Turekian, K.K., 1991, The role of chlorine in the loss of 238U decay chain nuclides and 232Th from a basaltic rock. Geophys. Res. Letters, v 18, 589-592.

    Turekian, K.K., 1990, The parameters controlling planetary degassing based on 40Ar systematics. In, From Mantle to Meteorites (Eds.), Gopalan, K., Gaur, V.K., Somayajulu,B.L.K. and Macdougall, J.D.,147-152, Indian Acad. Sci..

    Farley, K.A. and Turekian, K.K., 1990, Lead-210 in the Circumpolar South Atlantic. Deep-Sea Research, v 37, 1849-1860.

    Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1990, Radon fluxes from soils to the atmosphere measured by 210Pb-226Ra disequilibrium in soils. Geophys. Res. Letters, v 17, 841-844.

    Clark, J.F. and Turekian, K.K., 1990, Reaction time scale of hot spring waters from the Norris-Mammoth Corridor, Yellowstone National Park, based on radium isotopes and radon. J. Volc. and Geotherm. Res., v 40, 169-180.

    Tanaka, N., Monaghan, M.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1990, D14C balance for the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound and the northern Middle Atlantic Bight: Evidence for the extent of the Antarctic Intermediate Water contribution. J. Marine Res., v 48, 75-87.

    Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1989, The effect of forests and topography on the deposition of sub-micrometer aerosols measured by 210Pb and 137Cs in soils. Agri. and Forest Meteorol., v 47, 199-220.

    Reinitz, I. and Turekian, K.K., 1989, 230Th/238U and 226Ra/230Th fractionation in young basaltic glasses from the East Pacific Rise. Earth Planet. Sci. Letters, v 94, 199-207.

    Turekian, K.K., Graustein, W.C. and Cochran, J.K., 1989, Lead-210 in the SEAREX program: an aerosol tracer across the Pacific. In Chemical Oceanography, (Ed.), Riley, J.P. , Academic Press, v 10, 51-81.

    Ravizza, G. and Turekian, K.K., 1989, Application of the 187Re-187Os system to black shale geochronometry. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 53, 3257-3262.

    Palmer, M.R., Falkner, K.K., Turekian, K.K. and Calver, S.E., 1988, Sources of osmium isotopes in manganese nodules. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 52, 1197-1202.

    Esser, B.K. and Turekian, K.K., 1988, Accretion rate of extraterrestrial particles determined from osmium isotope systematics of Pacific pelagic clay and manganese nodules. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, v 52, 1383-1388.

    DeMaster, D.J. and Turekian, K.K., 1987, The radiocarbon record in varied sediments of Carmen Basin, Gulf of California: A measure of upwelling intensity variation during the past several hundred years. Paleoceanography, v 2, 249-254.

    Bacon, M.P., Belastock, R.A., Tecotzky, M., Turekian, K.K. and Spencer, D.W., 1988, Lead-210 and polonium-210 in ocean water profiles of the continental shelf and slope south of New England. Cont. Shelf Res., v 8, 841-853.

    Graustein, W.C. and Turekian, K.K., 1986, 210Pb and 137Cs in air and soils measure the rate and vertical distribution of aerosol scavenging. J. Geophys. Res., v 91, 14,355-14,366.

    Turekian, K.K. and cochran, J.K., 1986, Flow rates and reaction rates in the Galapagos spreading center hydrothermal system as inferred from 228Ra/226Ra in vesicomyid clam shells. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci., USA, v 83, 6241-6244.

    Palmer, M.R. and Turekian, K.K., 1986, 187Os/186Os in marine manganese nodules and the constraints on the crustal geochemistries of Re and Os. Nature, v 319, 216-220.

    Address:
    Prof. Karl K. Turekian
    Yale Geology Dept.
    P.O. Box 208109
    New Haven, CT 06520-8109
    (203)432-3188
    karl.turekian@yale.edu