228Ra, 226Ra, 224Ra and 223Ra in potential sources and sinks of land-derived material in the German Bight of the North Sea: implications for the use of radium as a tracer

Activities of the naturally occurring radium nuclides ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra were determined in waters of the open German Bight and adjacent nearshore areas in the North Sea, in order to explore the potential use of radium isotopes as natural tracers of land–ocean interaction in an environment characterised by extensive tidal flats, as well as riverine and groundwater influx. Data collected at various tidal phases from the Weser Estuary (²²⁸Ra: 46.3 ± 4.6; ²²⁶Ra: 17.1 ± 1.1; ²²⁴Ra: 26.1 ± 8.2 to 36.5 ± 6.1; ²²³Ra: 1.8 ± 0.1 to 4.0 ± 0.4), tidal flats near Sahlenburg (²²⁸Ra: 39.3 ± 3.8 to 46.0 ± 4.5; ²²⁶Ra: 15.5 ± 1.5 to 16.5 ± 1.7; ²²⁴Ra: 34.3 ± 2.2 to 85.3 ± 6.3; ²²³Ra: 3.6 ± 0.5 to 8.0 ± 1.2), freshwater seeps on tidal flats near Sahlenburg (²²⁸Ra: 42.1 ± 4.1; ²²⁶Ra: 21.3 ± 2.2; ²²⁴Ra: 5.1 ± 0.9; ²²³Ra: 2.6 ± 1.3) and also in permanently inundated parts of the North Sea (²²⁸Ra: 23.0 ± 2.3 to 28.2 ± 2.8; ²²⁶Ra: 8.2 ± 0.8 to 11.8 ± 1.2; ²²⁴Ra: 3.1 ± 1.0 to 10.1 ± 0.9; ²²³Ra: 0.1 ± 0.02 to 0.9 ± 0.05; units: disintegrations per minute per 100 kg water sample) reveal that, except for the fresh groundwater, the potential end-members of nearshore water mass mixing have quite similar radium signatures, excluding a simple discrimination between the sources. However, the decreasing activities of the short-lived ²²⁴Ra and ²²³Ra isotopes recorded towards the island of Helgoland in the central German Bight show a potential to constrain fluxes of land-derived material to the open North Sea. The largest source for all radium isotopes is generally found on the vast tidal flats and in the Weser Estuary. Future work could meaningfully combine this so-called radium quartet approach with investigations of radon activity. Indeed, preliminary data from a tidal flat site with fresh groundwater seepage reveal a ²²²Rn signal that is clearly lower in seawater.     

TIMS measurements of Ra and Ra in the Gulf of Lion, an attempt to quantify submarine groundwater discharge

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is now recognized as an important pathway for water and chemical species fluxes to the coastal ocean. In order to determinate SGD to the Gulf of Lion (France), we measured the activities of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) in coastal waters and in the deep aquifer waters of the Rhone deltaic plain after pre-concentration of radium by MnO₂. Compared to conventional counting techniques, TIMS requires lower quantities of water for the analyses, and leads to higher analytical precision. Radium isotopes were thus measured on 0.25–2 L water samples containing as little as 20 fg of ²²⁶Ra and 0.2–0.4 fg of ²²⁸Ra with precision equal to 2%. We demonstrate that coastal surface waters samples are enriched in ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra compared to the samples further offshore. The high precision radium measurements display a small but significant ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra enrichment within a strip of circa 30 km from the coast. Radium activities decrease beyond this region, entrained in the northern current along the shelf break or controlled by eddy diffusion. The radium excess in the first 30 km cannot be accounted for by the river nor by the early diagenesis. The primary source of the radium enrichment must therefore be ascribed to the discharge of submarine groundwater. Using a mass-balance model, we estimated the advective fluxes of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra through SGD to be 5.2 × 10¹⁰ and 21 × 10¹⁰ dpm/d respectively. The ²²⁶Ra activities measured in the groundwater from the Rhone deltaic plain aquifer are comparable to those from other coastal groundwater studies throughout the world. By contrast, ²²⁸Ra activities are higher by up to one order of magnitude. Taking those groundwater radium activities as typical of the submarine groundwater end-member, a minimum volume of 0.24–4.5 × 10¹⁰ l/d is required to support the excess radium isotopes on the inner shelf. This has to be compared with the average rivers water runoff of 15.4 × 10¹⁰ l/d during the study period (1.6 to 29% of the river flow).     

苏北浅滩海底地下水排放及其对海域营养盐通量的贡献

海底地下水排放(SGD)是近海海域的一个重要的营养盐来源。本研究借助多种天然镭同位素对春季苏北浅滩海域的SGD及其携带入海的营养盐通量进行量化评估。研究发现:苏北浅滩海域的~(224)Ra、~(223)Ra和~(226)Ra等镭同位素的浓度水平较高,呈现近岸高、远岸低的分布趋势;根据~(224)Ra/~(226)Ra的"表观年龄模型"估算的水龄的分布情况推断,春季该海域表层水体主体流向为东北向,流速约为0.1m/s,这与前人物理海洋数值模拟结果一致;最终利用226Ra质量平衡模型发现海域的SGD通量为(46±29)cm/d,由其携带入海的溶解态无机氮、磷、硅营养盐(DIN、 DIP、 DSi)等的通量分别为(2.6±3.1)×1~09、(3.0±2.5)×10~6和(5.5±4.2)×10~8mol/d。     

Radium and lead-210 in marine barite

Measurements of ²²⁶Ra and ²¹⁰Pb in barite samples separated from different depths of a piston core from the eastern equatorial Pacific are reported. ²²⁶Ra is enriched in the barite as would be expected from the chemistries of Ra and Ba; the ${}^{226}\text{Ra}\text{Ba}$ ratio centers around 1.5 · 10¹⁴ atoms/mole. The results suggest that barite is concentrating Ra at a rate comparable to its decay rate, viz. 5.78 · 10^?3 yr^?1. The gross ²¹⁰Pb depletion with respect to ²²⁶Ra is indicative of ²²²Rn loss due to the smallness of the barite crystals.     

白令海表层营养盐水平输送的镭-228示踪

对白令海表层海水228Ra的分析表明,白令海表层海水228Ra比活度从低于检测限变化至0.81 Bq/m3,低于西北冰洋陆架区的报道值。表层水228Ra比活度和228Ra/226Ra)_A.R.的空间分布均呈现由西南部中心海盆向东北部陆架区增加的趋势。由228Ra/226Ra)_A.R.和盐度的关系揭示出白令海环流、白令海陆坡流和阿拉斯加沿岸流对228Ra和228Ra/226Ra)_A.R.分布有明显影响。运用一维稳态扩散模型计算出白令海由中心海盆向东北部陆架方向上水体混合的水平涡动扩散系数为1.9×108 m2/d。结合海盆-陆架界面营养盐的水平浓度梯度,估算得硝酸盐、活性磷酸盐和活性硅酸盐由白令海中心海盆向东北部陆架区的水平输送通量,该通量对白令海东北部陆架区新生产力的贡献很小,其他途径输送的营养盐更为重要。     

High 226Ra and 228Ra activities in Nueces Bay,Texas indicate large submarine saline discharges

We have investigated submarine groundwater discharge to Nueces Bay (Texas) using naturally occurring Ra isotopes. Dissolved Ra activities in Nueces Bay are among the highest observed in coastal estuaries; as great as 2600 dpm m^− 3 for ²²⁸Ra and 1000 dpm m^− 3 for ²²⁶Ra. Using a combination of salt and Ra mass balances, we demonstrate that river discharge and bay bottom sediments cannot supply the Ra needed to balance tidal export. In the case of ²²⁶Ra there is an additional source of 218 × 10⁶ ± 105% dpm day^− 1 which is 9 times the maximum supply from bay bottom sediments and 50 times the Ra supplied by the Nueces River. A groundwater flux of 310,000 m³ day^− 1 is required to supply the needed ²²⁶Ra, based on the measured maximum Ra activity of local groundwater. Though as little as 10% of this flux may be advecting terrestrial groundwater this would still represent 160% of the Nueces River discharge. This makes it unlikely that groundwater discharge alone is supplying all of the additional ²²⁶Ra. Oil-field brine could potentially account for the remainder. Leakage of 6290 m³ day^− 1 of oil-field brine from the submerged petroleum wells and pipelines within the bay could supply all of the needed ²²⁶Ra. Such large fluxes of brackish groundwater and oil-field brine could significantly affect bay nitrogen budgets, salinities, and dissolved oxygen concentrations and should be considered when determining the freshwater inflow requirements for Nueces Bay and similar estuaries.     

Seasonal variation of <Superscript>228</Superscript>Ra/<Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra ratio in surface water from the East China Sea and the Tsushima Strait

A total of 21 surface water samples were collected on the east side of the East China Sea (ECS) (3 sites) and at the Tsushima Strait (1 site), and ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra activities were measured using low-background γ-spectrometry. The ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratios among the samples exhibited notable seasonal variation (²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra = 0.2–2.6) accompanying changes of salinity (31.7–34.7). Seasonal water circulation within the ECS is hypothesized to cause the change by altering the mixing ratio of ²²⁸Ra-rich continental shelf water and ²²⁸Ra-poor Kuroshio water.     

白令海峡水团来源的镭同位素示踪

对白令海峡64.3°N纬向断面镭同位素的研究表明,水体中226Ra比活度、228Ra比活度和228Ra/226Ra)A.R.存在明显的纬向变化,反映出太平洋与北冰洋水体交换的多种路径.根据温度、盐度和镭同位素的水平与垂直分布,太平洋水进入北冰洋的路径可能主要有3支,分别为白令海峡西侧的阿拉德水、白令海峡东侧的阿拉斯加沿...     

226Ra and 228Ra in the mixing zones of the Pee Dee River-Winyah Bay,Yangtze River and Delaware Bay Estuaries

²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra have non-conservative excess concentrations in the mixing zones of the Pee Dee River-Winyah Bay estuary, the Yangtze River estuary, and the Delaware Bay estuary. Laboratory experiments, using Pee Dee River sediment, indicate desorption of ²²⁶Ra to increase with increasing salinities up to 20‰. In Winyah Bay desorption from river-borne sediments could contribute almost all of the increases for both isotopes. Desorption adds only a portion of the excess ²²⁸Ra measured in the Yangtse River and adjacent Shelf waters and Delaware Bay. In the Yangtze River the mixing zone extends over a considerable portion of the Continental Shelf where ²²⁸Ra is added to the water column by diffusion from bottom sediments, while ²²⁶Ra concentrations decrease from dilution. Diffusion of ²²⁸Ra from bottom sediments in Delaware Bay primarily occurs in the upper part of the bay (< 22‰ water) where fine grained sediments predominate. A diffusive flux for ²²⁸Ra of 0·33 dpm cm^?2 year was determined for Delaware Bay.     

Radium and radon radioisotopes in regional groundwater, intertidal groundwater, and seawater in the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study area: Implications for the evaluation of submarine groundwater discharge

The input of groundwater-borne nutrients to Adelaide's (South Australia) coastal zone is not well known but could contribute to the ongoing decline of seagrass in the area. As a component of the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study (ACWS), the potential for using the radium quartet (²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) and ²²²Rn to evaluate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was evaluated. Potential isotopic signatures for SGD were assessed by sampling groundwater from three regional aquifers potentially contributing SGD to the ACWS area. In addition, intertidal groundwater was sampled at two sand beach sites. In general, the regional groundwaters were enriched in long-lived Ra isotopes (²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) and in ²²²Rn relative to intertidal groundwater. Radium activity (but not ²²²Rn activity) was positively correlated to salinity in groundwater from one of the regional aquifers and in intertidal groundwater. Radium isotope ratios (²²³Ra/²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra/²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra) were less variable than individual Ra isotope activities within potential SGD sources. Recirculated seawater (estimated from the intertidal groundwater samples with seawater-like salinities) also had distinctly higher Ra isotope ratios than the regional groundwaters. The activities for all radioisotopes were relatively low in seawater. The activity of the short-lived ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra were highest at the shoreline and declined exponentially with distance offshore. In contrast, ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁶Ra activities had a weak linear declining trend with distance offshore. Rn-222 activity was at or near background in all seawater samples. The pattern of enrichment in short-lived Ra isotopes and the lack of ²²²Rn in seawater suggest that seawater recirculation is the main contributor to SGD in the ACWS area. Preliminary modeling of the offshore flux of ²²⁸Ra and ²²⁶Ra suggest that the SGD flux to the ACWS area ranges between 0.2 and 3 · 10^− 3 m³ (m of shoreline)^− 1 s^− 1.     

Seasonal variation in the Ra/Ra ratio of coastal water within the Sea of Japan: Implications for the origin and circulation patterns of the Tsushima Coastal Branch Current

In the current study, low-background γ-spectrometry was employed to determine the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratio and ¹³⁷Cs activity of 84 coastal water samples collected at six sites along the main island of Japan (Honshu Island) within the Sea of Japan, including the Tsushima Strait, and two other representative sites on Honshu Island (a Pacific shore and the Tsugaru Strait) at 1-month intervals in 2006.The ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio of coastal waters in the Sea of Japan exhibited similar patterns of seasonal variation, with minimum values during early summer (²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra = 0.6–0.8), maximum values during autumn (²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra = 1.5–3), and a time lag in their temporal changes ( 2.5 months and over  1300 km distance). However, the 2 other sites represented no clear periodic variation.In contrast to the positive correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity (0.6–1.7 mBq/L) and salinity (15–35), the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio of coastal water samples from the Sea of Japan was not observed to correlate with salinity, and the increase in the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio was not as marked (0.5–1; May–June 2004 and 2005) during the migration along Honshu Island. The input of land-derived water and/or the diffusion of radium from coastal sediments is unlikely to have affected the wide seasonal variation in the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio observed in these water samples.The seasonal variation in the ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio recorded for the coastal waters of the Sea of Japan is considered to be mainly controlled by the remarkable changes in the mixing ratio of the ²²⁸Ra-poor Kuroshio and the ²²⁸Ra-rich continental shelf waters within the East China Sea (ECS). After passing through the Tsushima Strait, this water mass moves northeast along the coastline of the Sea of Japan as the Tsushima Coastal Branch Current (TCBC).     

Ra/226Ra activity ratio in oceanic settling particles: implications regarding the use of barium as a proxy for paleoproductivity reconstruction

Activities of the natural radionuclides ²²⁶Ra (T1/2 =1602 years) and 22sRa (T1/2 =5.75 years) in particulate matter are reported from sediment traps deployed in the tropical northeast Atlantic. ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratios in settling particles are compared to those found in the water column in order to specify the origin of radium incorporated in particulate matter, and consequently that of barium, since the two elements are known to display close geochemical behaviours in the oceans. Whereas ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra activity ratios in the water column display very large variations with depth, they remain nearly constant in particles, with values close to those found in the upper 250 m. These results clearly demonstrate that particles acquire their radium and, by inference, their barium, in the upper water column and that there is very little exchange with the dissolved phase as they settle to the bottom.     

A practical method for the simultaneous determination of234Th,226Ra,210Pb and210Po in seawater

A practical method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of²²⁶Ra,²³⁴Th,²¹⁰Pb and²¹⁰Po in seawater. In the method, the samples are spiked with²²⁸Ra,²³⁰Th,²⁰⁸Po and common lead to determine chemical yield. These nuclides are coprecipitated with calcium carbonate and ferric hydroxide from 20 to 50 l of seawater and separated from one another by using coprecipitation and ion exchange techniques. Counting sources of Ra and the other nuclides are prepared by electrodeposition onto silver discs. Their radioactivities are counted with an-spectrometer and a low background-counter. This method gives a standard deviation of about 5% for replicate determination of²²⁶Ra and the other nuclides.     

Rapid removal of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon over the Eurasian shelves of the Arctic Ocean

The fate of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) delivered to the Arctic Ocean by rivers remains poorly constrained on both spatial and temporal scales. Early reports suggested Arctic tDOC was refractory to degradation, while recent studies have shown tDOC removal to be an active but slow process. Here we present observations of DOC, salinity, δ¹⁸O, and ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra in the Polar Surface Layer (PSL) over the outer East Siberian/Chukchi shelf and the adjacent Makarov and Eurasian basins of the eastern Arctic Ocean. This off-shelf system receives meteoric water, introduced by rivers, after a few years residence on the shelf. Elevated concentrations of DOC (> 120 μM C) were observed in low salinity (~ 27) water over the Makarov Basin, suggesting inputs of tDOC-enriched river water to the source waters of the Transpolar Drift. The regression of DOC against salinity indicated an apparent tDOC concentration of 315 ± 7 μM C in the river water fraction, which is significantly lower than the estimated DOC concentration in the riverine sources to the region (724 ± 55 μM C). To obtain the timescale of removal, estimates of shelf residence were coupled with measurements of dissolved ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra, an isotopic tracer of time since shelf residence. Shelf residence time coupled with DOC distributions indicates a first order tDOC removal rate constant, λ = 0.24 ± 0.07 yr^-1, for the eastern Arctic, 2.5–4 times higher than rates previously observed in the western Arctic. The observed removal of tDOC in the eastern Arctic occurs over the expansive shelf area, highlighting the initial lability of tDOC upon delivery to the Arctic Ocean, and suggests that tDOC is composed of multiple compartments defined by reactivity. The relatively rapid remineralization of tDOC on the shelves may mitigate the strength of the Arctic Ocean atmospheric CO₂ sink if a projected increase in labile tDOC flux occurs.     

Precision of high-resolution multibeam echo sounding coupled with high-accuracy positioning in a shallow water coastal environment

Over 4 years, repetitive bathymetric measurements of a shipwreck in the Grådyb tidal inlet channel in the Danish Wadden Sea were carried out using a state-of-the-art high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) coupled with a real-time long range kinematic (LRK?) global positioning system. Seven measurements during a single survey in 2003 (n=7) revealed a horizontal and vertical precision of the MBES system of ±20 and ±2 cm, respectively, at a 95% confidence level. By contrast, four annual surveys from 2002 to 2005 (n=4) yielded a horizontal and vertical precision (at 95% confidence level) of only ±30 and ±8 cm, respectively. This difference in precision can be explained by three main factors: (1) the dismounting of the system between the annual surveys, (2) rougher sea conditions during the survey in 2004 and (3) the limited number of annual surveys. In general, the precision achieved here did not correspond to the full potential of the MBES system, as this could certainly have been improved by an increase in coverage density (soundings/m²), achievable by reducing the survey speed of the vessel. Nevertheless, precision was higher than that reported to date for earlier offshore test surveys using comparable equipment.     

Glimpses of Arctic Ocean shelf–basin interaction from submarine-borne radium sampling

Evidence of shelf-water transfer from temperature, salinity, and ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra sampling from the nuclear submarine USS L. Mendel Rivers SCICEX cruise in October, 2000 demonstrates the heterogeneity of the Arctic Ocean with respect to halocline ventilation. This likely reflects both time-dependent events on the shelves and the variety of dispersal mechanisms within the ocean, including boundary currents and eddies, at least one of which was sampled in this work. Halocline waters at the 132 m sampling depth in the interior Eurasian Basin are generally not well connected to the shelves, consonant with their ventilation within the deep basins, rather than on the shelves. In the western Arctic, steep gradients in ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratio and age since shelf contact are consistent with very slow exchange between the Chukchi shelf and the interior Beaufort Gyre. These are the first radium measurements from a nuclear submarine.     

An isotopic perspective on the correlation of surface ocean carbon dynamics and sea ice melting in Prydz Bay (Antarctica) during austral summer

The stable carbon isotope composition of particulate organic carbon (δ¹³C_POC) and naturally occurring long-lived radionuclide ²²⁶Ra (T_1/2=1600 a) were applied to study the variations of upper ocean (<100 m) carbon dynamics in response to sea ice melting in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica during austral summer 2006. Surface δ¹³C_POC values ranged from −27.4‰ to −19.0‰ and generally decreased from inner bay (south of 67°S) toward the Antarctic Divergence. Surface water ²²⁶Ra activity concentration ranged from 0.92 to 2.09 Bq/m³ (average 1.65±0.32 Bq/m³, n=20) and increased toward the Antarctic Divergence, probably reflecting the influence of ²²⁶Ra-depleted meltwater and upwelled ²²⁶Ra-replete deep water. The fraction of meltwater, f_i, was estimated from ²²⁶Ra activity concentration and salinity using a three-component (along with Antarctic Summer Surface Water, and Prydz Bay Deep Water) mixing model. Although the fraction of meltwater is relatively minor (1.6–11.9%, average 4.1±2.7%, n=20) for the surface waters (sampled at ~6 m), a positive correlation between surface δ¹³C_POC and f_i (δ¹³C_POC=0.94×f_i−28.44, n=20, r²=0.66, p<0.0001) was found, implying that sea ice melting may have contributed to elevated δ¹³C_POC values in the inner Prydz Bay compared to the open oceanic waters. This is the first time for a relationship between δ¹³C_POC and meltwater fraction to be reported in polar oceans to our knowledge. We propose that sea ice melting may have affected surface ocean δ¹³C_POC by enhancing water column stability and providing a more favorable light environment for phytoplankton photosynthesis, resulting in drawdown of seawater CO₂ availability, likely reducing the magnitude of isotope fractionation during biological carbon fixation. Our results highlight the linkage of ice melting and δ¹³C_POC, providing insights into understanding the carbon cycling in the highly productive Antarctic waters.     

Comparison of techniques for pre-concentrating radium from seawater

In the framework of the KEOPS project (KErguelen: compared study of the Ocean and the Plateau in Surface water), we aimed to provide information on the water mass pathways and vertical mixing on the Kerguelen Plateau, Southern Ocean, based on ²²⁸Ra profiles. Because ²²⁸Ra activities are extremely low in this area (~ 0.1 dpm/100 kg or ~ 2.10^− 18 g kg^− 1), the filtration of large volumes of seawater was required in order to be able to detect it with minimal uncertainty. This challenging study was an opportunity for us to test and compare methods aimed at removing efficiently radium isotopes from seawater. We used Mn-fiber that retains radium and that allows the measurement of all four radium isotopes (²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, ²²³Ra, ²²⁴Ra). First, we used Niskin bottles or the ship's seawater intake to collect large volumes of seawater that were passed onto Mn-fiber in the laboratory. Second, we filled cartridges with Mn-fiber that we placed in tandem on in situ pumps. Finally, we fixed nylon nets filled with Mn-fiber on the frame of in situ pumps to allow the passive filtration of seawater during the pump deployment.Yields of radium fixation on the cartridges filled with Mn-fiber and placed on in situ pumps are ca. 30% when combining the two cartridges. Because large volumes of seawater can be filtered with these pumps, this yields to effective volumes of 177–280 kg (that is, higher than that recovered from fourteen 12-l Niskin bottles). Finally, the effective volume of seawater that passed through Mn-fiber placed in nylon nets and deployed during 4 h ranged between 125 and 364 kg. Consequently, the two techniques that separate Ra isotopes in situ are good alternatives for pre-concentrating radium from seawater. They can save ship-time by avoiding repeated CTD casts to obtain the large volumes of seawater. This is especially true when in situ pumps are deployed to collect suspended particles. However, both methods only provide ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratios. The determination of the ²²⁸Ra specific activity is obtained by multiplying this ratio by the ²²⁶Ra activity measured in a discrete sample collected at the same water depth.     

A 2—D section of 228Ra and 226Ra in the Northeast Pacific

Seawater samples collected in the northeast Pacific from 112° 50′W to 126° 36′W along a latitudinal band (21–25° N) have been analysed for ²²⁸RA and ²²⁶Ra. Both nuclides exhibit their characteristic distributions. In the surface water, the exponential-like decrease of ²²⁸ Ra away from Baja California can be interpreted by horizontal water mixing with eddy diffusion coefficients (K_x) of 1 × 10⁶ cm² s⁻¹ and 5 × 10⁷ cm² S⁻¹ for scale lengths of 200 km and 1000 km, respectively. In the bottom waters, the decrease of ²²⁸Ra away from bottom sediments can be modeled by vertical eddy diffusivities (K_z) of 15–30 cm² s⁻¹ except at one station (24° 16.9′ N, 115° 8.9′ W) where a value of 120 cm² s⁻¹ is obtained. The ²²⁸Ra-derived diffusivities were used to compute the mass balance of ²²⁶Ra using a two-box model. The model results show a mean mixing coefficient of 3.8 cm² s⁻¹ for the thermocline and a mean upwelling velocity of 7.7 m y⁻¹ in the study area, both are about two or three times higher than those generally quoted for the Pacific.     

Ra and Ra in the mixing zones of the Pee Dee River-Winyah Bay, Yangtze River and Delaware Bay Estuaries

²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra have non-conservative excess concentrations in the mixing zones of the Pee Dee River-Winyah Bay estuary, the Yangtze River estuary, and the Delaware Bay estuary. Laboratory experiments, using Pee Dee River sediment, indicate desorption of ²²⁶Ra to increase with increasing salinities up to 20‰. In Winyah Bay desorption from river-borne sediments could contribute almost all of the increases for both isotopes. Desorption adds only a portion of the excess ²²⁸Ra measured in the Yangtse River and adjacent Shelf waters and Delaware Bay. In the Yangtze River the mixing zone extends over a considerable portion of the Continental Shelf where ²²⁸Ra is added to the water column by diffusion from bottom sediments, while ²²⁶Ra concentrations decrease from dilution. Diffusion of ²²⁸Ra from bottom sediments in Delaware Bay primarily occurs in the upper part of the bay (< 22‰ water) where fine grained sediments predominate. A diffusive flux for ²²⁸Ra of 0·33 dpm cm⁻² year was determined for Delaware Bay.