Changes in anthropogenic emissions of lead as an inadvertent tracer experiment on oceanic chemical flux processes will be used to determine the magnitude and rate of oceanic chemical fluxes as they respond to changes in external boundary conditions. Such an experiment is the best predictor of the fate of other metals introduced into the ocean by human activities. Physical ventilation dominates transport of lead into the upper thermocline, so it is important to either couple lead measurements with those of transient tracers, or to work in areas where this information is available from ongoing efforts (such as Bermuda and the "beta triangle" region).
