A Reactive Silicate Budget for the Arctic Ocean1

Available data permit formulation of a reactive silicate budget for the Arctic Ocean. There is fairly good agreement between the input and removal terms. Arctic rivers do not appear to have unusually high reactive silicate concentrations and the budget indicates that the Arctic Ocean is not a major source for reactive silicate; it could even be a sink. The results also lend some credence to the view that the Bering Strait inflow may exit primarily via the Canadian Archipelago.