The flux of226Ra from deep-sea sediments

The flux of²²⁶Ra from bottom sediments has been determined from patterns of²²⁶Ra/²³⁰Th disequilibrium in ten deep-sea cores from the world oceans. Values range from ? 0.0015 dpm/cm² yr (in the Atlantic) to 0.21 dpm/cm² yr (in the north equatorial Pacific). The flux is poorly related to sediment type, but is inversely correlated in a non-linear fashion with sediment accumulation rate. There is a direct relationship between the production rate of²²⁶Ra near the sediment-water interface (i.e. the integrated²³⁰Th activity in the biologically mixed zone) and the²²⁶Ra flux. The²²⁶Ra concentration in near-bottom water follows the geographic variation in the²²⁶Ra flux. The high flux from north equatorial Pacific sediments especially is reflected in the high bottom water²²⁶Ra concentrations in that area. The data suggest that both rate of circulation and the magnitude of the radium flux influence the near-bottom²²⁶Ra concentration.     

Cosmic ray flux variations, modulated by the solar and earth’s magnetic fields, and climate changes. 1. Time interval from the present to 10–12 ka ago (the Holocene Epoch)

Direct and indirect data on variations in cosmic rays, solar activity, geomagnetic dipole moment, and climate from the present to 10–12ka ago (the Holocene Epoch), registered in different natural archives (tree rings, ice layers, etc.), have been analyzed. The concentration of cosmogenic isotopes, generated in the Earth’s atmosphere under the action of cosmic ray fluxes and coming into the Earth archives, makes it possible to obtain valuable information about variations in a number of natural processes. The cosmogenic isotopes ¹⁴C in tree rings and ¹⁰Be in ice layers, as well as cosmic rays, are modulated by solar activity and geomagnetic field variations, and time variations in these concentrations gives information about past solar and geomagnetic activities. Since the characteristics of natural reservoirs with cosmogenic ¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be vary with climate changes, the concentrations of these isotopes also inform about climate changes in the past. A performed analysis indicates that cosmic ray flux variations are apparently the most effective natural factor of climate changes on a large time scale.     

Spatiotemporal variations of deep-sea sediment components and their fluxes since the last glaciation in the northern South China Sea

Sediment components and their fluxes of Cores MD12-3428(water depth: 903 m), MD12-3433(water depth: 2125 m),and MD12-3434(water depth: 2995 m), obtained along a transect on the continental slope of the northern South China Sea, have been conducted to reveal the spatiotemporal variations and the controlling factors of the sediment components and of their fluxes.Results show that deep-sea sediments in the northern South China Sea are composed mainly of terrigenous(59–89%) and carbonate(6–38%) particles, with minor components of opal(1.6–9.4%) and organic matter(0.7–1.9%). Fluxes of terrigenous and carbonate particles reach up to 2.4–21.8 and 0.4–6.5 g cm–2 kyr–1, respectively, values that are one to two orders of magnitude higher than the fluxes of opal and organic matter. Temporal variations of the percentages and fluxes of deep-sea sediment components have displayed clear glacial-interglacial cyclicity since the last glaciation. Terrigenous, opal, and organic matter percentages and their fluxes increas clearly during marine isotope stage 2, while carbonate percentages and fluxes show an opposite variation pattern or are characterized by an unremarkable increase. This implies that deep-sea carbonate in the South China Sea is affected by the dilution of terrigenous inputs during the sea-level lowstand. With increasing water depth along the transect, the terrigenous percentage increases but with largely decreased fluxes. Both the percentage and flux of carbonate decrease, while the percentages and fluxes of opal and organic matter display much more complicated variational features. The spatiotemporal variations of deep-sea sediment components and of their fluxes since the last glaciation in the northern South China Sea are strongly controlled by sea-level fluctuations. Simultaneously, terrigenous supply associated with monsoonal rainfall, marine primary productivity,and the dilution effect between terrigenous and biogenic particles, also play interconnected roles in the sediment accumulation processes.     

Removal of230Th and231Pa from the open ocean

Concentrations of²³⁰Th and²³¹Pa were measured in particulate matter collected by sediment traps deployed in the Sargasso Sea (Site S₂), the north equatorial Atlantic (site E), and the north equatorial Pacific (Site P) as well as in particles collected by in situ filtration at Site E. Concentrations of dissolved Th and Pa were determined by extraction onto manganese dioxide adsorbers at Site P and at a second site in the Sargasso Sea (site D).Dissolved²³⁰Th/²³¹Pa activity ratios were 3–6 at Sites P and D. In contrast, for all sediment trap samples from greater than 2000 m, unsupported²³⁰Th/²³¹Pa ratios were 22–35 (average 29.7). Ratios were lower in particulate matter sampled at shallower depths. Particles filtered at 3600 m and 5000 m at Site E had ratios of 50 and 40. Results show that suspended particulate matter in the open ocean preferentially scavenges Th relative to Pa. Most of the²³⁰Th produced by decay of²³⁴U in the open ocean is removed by adsorption to settling particulate matter. In contrast, less than 50% of the²³¹Pa produced by decay of²³⁵U is removed from the water column by this mechanism. Mixing processes transport the remainder to other sinks.     

Large 14C age offsets between the fine fraction and coexisting planktonic foraminifera in shallow Caribbean sediments

Absolute chronologies in paleoceanographic records are often constructed using the ¹⁴C dating of coarse fraction foraminifera (>150 μm). However, due to processes such as changes in sediment sources or abundances, sedimentation rates, bioturbation, reworking, the adsorption of modern carbon, etc., several studies conducted in different environmental settings have shown time-lags between records obtained from various granulometric fractions. In this study, we examined temporal phasing between the coarse foraminifera and fine fractions by studying changes in the abundances of δ¹⁸O, the ¹⁴C ages of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber (G. ruber, 250–350 μm), and the sediment fine fraction (<63 μm) over the last 45 ka in a core obtained from the northern Caribbean Sea. All of the records were found to be in phase during part of the Holocene (at least for the last ≈6 ka). As determined from δ¹⁸O records and ¹⁴C ages, the fine fraction was younger than G. ruber during the Last Deglaciation (of 1.89 ka). The coupling between bioturbation and changes in the fine fraction, and G. ruber abundances, as tested using a numerical model of the bioturbation record within a mixed-layer depth of 8 cm, was sufficient to explain the results. ¹⁴C age discrepancies increased from 5.64 to 8.5 ka during Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 2 and 3, respectively. These chronological discrepancies could not be explained by only one process and seemed to result from the interplay between mechanisms: size-differentiated bioturbation (for 1.5 to 2.5 ka), the adsorption of modern atmospheric CO₂ (for 3.04 to 5.92 ka), and variations in sedimentological processes that influenced the fine carbonate fraction. However, even if variations in the mineralogical composition of the fine carbonate fraction were identified using scanning-electron microscopy observations, X-ray diffraction measurements, and geochemical analyses (the mol % MgCO₃ of magnesian calcite and the Sr/Ca ratio of the bulk fine fraction), they can not account for the observed age differences. The results presented for core MD03-2628 extend beyond this case study because they illustrate the need for a detailed characterization of the various size fractions prior to paleoclimate signal interpretations, especially for chronological studies.     

10Be dating of North Pacific sediment cores up to 2.5 million years B.P.

The¹⁰Be method of dating of marine sediment cores is applied to five North Pacific cores. Assuming a constant¹⁰Be precipitation rate and varying sedimentation rates with time during the past 2.5 m.y. dating confirms to that obtained from paleomagnetic stratigraphy. The¹⁰Be concentration variations with depth in the cores are primarily due to changes in sediment dilution and do not reflect cosmic ray intensity or global climate variations. The limits of¹⁰Be deposition rate variation in the investigated cores are less than ± 10% for periods of (2–7) × 10⁵ years and less than ±30% for periods of 1 × 10⁵ years. The data set gives a half-life of¹⁰Be is 1.50 × 10⁶ years. The latitudinal effect of¹⁰Be concentrations and¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios relates to a frequency of particulate matter occurrence (detrital and biological particles) in the oceans and to oceanic circulation.     

High resolution OSL dating back to MIS 5e in the central Sea of Okhotsk

Marine sediments contain important archives of past ocean and climate changes, but at high latitudes the absence of carbonate has prevented the construction of accurate chronological models. We have begun a study to (1) determine the accuracy of luminescence ages in deep-sea marine sediments, e.g. by comparison with marine oxygen isotope stratigraphy where possible, (2) describe changes in sedimentation rate through time, and (3) test whether it is possible to date back to marine isotope stage 5e (MIS 5e). We show here that optical dating of fine grains of quartz from the central Sea of Okhotsk is able to provide an accurate and precise chronology for the reconstruction of the palaeoceanic and palaeoclimatic environment at our site. The upper 6.5 m of the 18.42 m long core MR0604-PC07A is believed, based on its magnetic susceptibility and the oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) records to contain the last ～150 ka. Forty OSL samples were taken from this upper part of the core. The single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) procedure is used for equivalent dose (D_e) determination. The luminescence characteristics of fine-grained quartz (4–11 μm) extracted from the core are described. The OSL signal is dominated by the fast component and a dose recovery test shows that we can accurately measure a known dose given in the laboratory prior to any heat treatment. Dose rates were determined using high-resolution gamma spectrometry, and vary between 0.4 and 1.6 Gy/ka. The OSL ages from this section lie between ～140 ka and ～15 ka and are in very good agreement with the δ¹⁸O stratigraphy up to MIS 5e. A clear change in sedimentation rate is identified: between ～139 and 110 ka, the sedimentation rate was ～0.09 m/ka, but then from ～110 to 15 ka, the sedimentation rate decreases to a constant value of ～0.04 m/ka. Our data confirm that OSL dating using widely distributed fine-grain quartz has great potential for dating deep-sea sediments. Because luminescence methods use clastic materials, they do not depend on the presence of biogenic carbonate. As a result it is now likely that we can establish a chronology in regions of the ocean that were previously undatable.     

Environmental characteristics of Mid-Holocene recorded by lacustrine sediments from Lake Daihai, north environment sensitive zone, China

One of the goals for paleaoenvironmental research is to predict the tendency of future climate and environmental changes based on the understanding of the past. The key approach is to find similar pictures which happened in the past. By understanding the background and mechanism of the paleaoenvironmen- tal changes, reliable parameters and verifications can be provided for the numerical model to predict the tendency of future climate and environmental changes. The Mid-Holocene as the nearest …     

A scavenging model for trace elements in the deep sea

A vertical diffusion-advection model with a scavenging removal rate which is first-order in concentration is applied to the deep-water Geosecs-I profiles of four trace metals. The actual model scavenging rates are obtained by calibration of the vertical advection velocity with the radiocarbon profile from the same station — the¹⁴C data givew = 3.7m/yr. “Scavenging residence times”, τ_ψ, of 1400 years for Cu, 3200 years for Sb, and 2500 years for Sc are obtained. For these three elements the fit of the data to the scavenging-model equation is better than the fit to a conservative mixing model with no in-situ removal. TheF_χ comparison test is used to assess the probability that the improved fit given by the scavenging model is due merely to a random selection of data from an infinite set of values with a distribution governed by the stable-conservative model. This probability is found to be only 0.6% for Cu and only 3% for Sb. For Sc, however, the probability is 19% so that the two models cannot be distinguished for this element. The Ni profile shows no effect of scavenging; a lower limit of 3000 years is estimated for τ_ψ but the value is probably much greater. The association of Cu and Pb as two elements with definite indication of scavenging in deep water is consistent with experimental adsorption studies; the lack of indication of scavenging of Ni is consistent with the hypothesis that clay minerals are the scavenging agent for Pb and Cu. The method of comparing scavenging and conservative mixing-model fits to the profiles provides a mechanism for defining a set of trace elements which show consistent scavenging effects over large ocean areas, so that the reality of the deep-sea scavenging process for non-radioactive elements can be tested.     

Cosmic ray exposure ages of chondrites,pre-irradiation and constancy of cosmic ray flux in the past

A systematic calibration of the production rate of one specific cosmic-ray-produced nuclide in chondrites, that of²¹Ne, was achieved by using four independent methods:P₂₁(1.11) = 0.507 ± 0.039, 0.302 ± 0.013, 0.312 ± 0.017and0.292 ± 0.019 (in units of 10^?8 cm³ STP/g My) based on²⁶Al-age,⁵³Mn-age,⁸¹Kr-⁸³Kr and²²Na-²²Ne methods, respectively. These production rates are all normalized to a shielding parameter ratio²²Ne/²¹Ne= 1.11 and to the chemical composition of L chondrites. The results obtained by the latter three methods are in good agreement, but they disagree in a systematic way with the²⁶Al-age calibration. Based on these results, we recommend a valueP₂₁(1.11) = 0.31 and a production rate equation:P₂₁ = 4.845 P₂₁ (1.11) F[21.77(²²Ne/²¹Ne) ? 19.32]^?, whereF = 1.00 for L and LL, andF = 0.93 for H chondrites, for the calculation of cosmic ray exposure ages on the basis of Ne concentrations. In an attempt to assess possible causes for this discrepancy, we discuss the²⁶Al half-life measurements, we evaluate effects resulting from pre-irradiation of meteorites, and we discuss the evidence regarding the constancy of the cosmic ray flux in the past, in the light of some recent astronomical observations.     

Exploring variations in upper ocean structure for the last 2 Ma of the Nansha area by means of calcareous nannofossils

A great number of calcareous nannofossils have been found in the deep-sea sediments of 2.32 Ma at ODP Site 1143 located in the Nansha area, the southern South China Sea. The number of coccoliths varies from about 0.5×10⁶ up to almost 53×10⁶ coccoliths/g sediment, with an average of 16×10⁶ coccoliths/g sediment. The accumulation rate of total coccoliths varies from 1×10⁶ to 278×10⁶ coccoliths/cm² ka. The nannofossil assemblages are usually dominated by a lower-photic species-Florisphaera profunda, of which the average percentage is about 70% in all samples. The absolute abundance and the accumulation rate of nannofossils as well as the percentage ofF. profunda display significant oscillations on two different time scales. One is the fluctuation coincident with the glacial-interglacial cycle, and the other is the long-term changes on a time scale longer than 100 ka. Six evolutionary stages of calcareous nannofossils could be divided for the last 2.32 Ma, from which we can reconstruct the changes in the depth of nutricline of the Nansha area. In this paper, the possible mechanism resulting in these variations is also discussed.     

U–Th dating of carbonate nodules from methane seeps off Joetsu, Eastern Margin of Japan Sea

We performed U–Th radioactive disequilibrium analyses of carbonate nodules and sediment samples recovered from methane seep sites off Joetsu, of the eastern margin of Japan Sea, to decipher the active period of the methane seep. The carbonates contain ²³⁰Th, part of which is located in detritus such as silicate and organics, at the time of precipitation. The initial ²³⁰Th renders accurate dating with U–Th radioactive disequilibrium method difficult. We assessed the feasibility of correction using radioactive disequilibrium data of ambient sediment to overcome this difficulty. A (²³⁰Th/²³²Th)–(²³⁴U/²³²Th) isochron drawn by three chips divided from a carbonate nodule (PC05-04-50) passed through data points of local sediments. We conclude that the problem of initial ²³⁰Th can be resolved by measurements of local sediments. Results show that carbonate nodules include local sediment as impurities. Furthermore, the results of trace element analyses such as Rb, Zr, Nb, REE, Pb, and Th also support the idea.In all, 18 carbonate samples were dated with correction of initial ²³⁰Th using the mean value of local sediment in this study. The U–Th correction ages show 12–35ka with an isochron age of 26 ± 3ka. Results indicate that during the time interval of U–Th ages, from 12ka to 35ka, environmental conditions must have been favorable for enhanced methane flux through sediment. The extensive methane flow period at 20ka accords with the lowest-stand sea level during the last glacial age. Results of this study also suggest that U–Th ages of carbonate are useful as a reliable chronometer with regard to methane seep activation. In order to acquire U–Th ages of carbonate at methane seep sites, however, it is important to evaluate the amount of initial ²³⁰Th accurately using the value of sediment.     

Numerical models for diagenesis and the Neogene Sr isotopic evolution of seawater from DSDP Site 590B

A numerical model for the diagenetic exchange of Sr between carbonates and their pore fluids during sedimentation and compaction has been developed. The model has been applied to data from DSDP Site 590B in order to assess the accuracy with which the Sr isotope record in the carbonate sediment reflects that of seawater. The most important process affecting the Sr in the solid carbonate is exchange with the pore fluid due to solution-reprecipitation, but the concentration or isotopic composition of Sr in the solid itself gives little or no information as to the magnitude of this exchange. The key to determining the rate of exchange is the pore fluid, where the variations of Sr²⁺ and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr with depth are very sensitive indicators. The logical structure of applying the model to data from DSDP 590B is to find by successive iteration an ocean history (i.e., the initial⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and Sr concentration of each increment of carbonate deposited) and a rate of Sr exchange between pore water and solid carbonate such that the model matches the present Sr concentration and⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of both pore water and solid carbonate.Once all the data are matched, the model provides an estimate of the rate of Sr exchange due to solution-reprecipitation and the evolution of⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in seawater over the past 20 million years. For DSDP 590B we find that solution-reprecipitation decreases rapidly with depth, from a near surface value of about 10% per million years to about 1% per million years below 200 m. This rate of exchange of Sr results in the carbonates of DSDP 590B preserving an accurate record of the Sr isotopic evolution of the ocean over the past 5 million years, but for ages greater than 5 million years the⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of the carbonate is systematically displaced from that of the seawater in which it was deposited. The maximum difference is of order 5 × 10⁻⁵.     

The distribution of bomb-produced tritium and radiocarbon at GEOSECS station 347 in the eastern North Pacific

Following Roether et al. [1] an upwelling model has been tested to explain the distribution of bomb-produced tritium at the GEOSECS I test station off Baja, California. We have extended their treatment to include the time histories for tritium and for bomb radiocarbon now available for this station. If the CO₂ gas exchange rate at this station is similar to the ocean average value of 20 moles/m² yr, then the upwelling rate must be quite small (<3 m/yr). However, a satisfactory match to the time histories of¹⁴C and of³H is achieved only if an upwelling rate of 40 m/yr is used. In this case, however, a CO₂ exchange rate of 70 moles/m² yr would be required to match the observed surface water¹⁴C/C ratios and a tritium input 4 times the expected value would be needed. The inconsistency in the bomb¹⁴C time history obtained using the accepted CO₂ exchange rate is likely the result of horizontal effects which void the validity of one dimensional modeling in this region of the ocean.     

Pu and137Cs in coastal sediments

Analyses are presented of¹³⁷Cs,²³⁸Pu, and^239,240Pu, in relation to depth in sediment, in 21 gravity cores. These cores span the ranges of times 1964–1975, and of water depths 12–2000 m; they come from three distinct sedimentation areas off the northeast coast of the United States. Although the ranges of total sediment inventories of^239,240Pu and of¹³⁷Cs from the various areas hardly overlap, the range of ratios of the inventories of these two nuclides is probably the same in all the areas. In the shallow-water cores the^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs ratio regularly diminishes with depth in the core, and a tendency is seen for curves of this function to have similar slopes in each area; ratios of²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu show no change with depth in these shallow-water cores. In the deeper-water cores, the^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs ratio shows no systematic change with depth, but sometimes the²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu ratio shows a minimum at the sediment surface, and is much higher deeper in the cores. We believe that these phenomena can be explained in terms of a complicated bioturbational process moving the nuclides, together, down into the sediments, of chemical resolubilization, at depth, of plutonium only, and of its subsequent upward translocation in the interstitial solution. Some re-immobilization of plutonium near the sediment surface is implied, and a mechanism is suggested for this, based on displacement of plutonium from organic complexes by the increasing concentrations, in upper layers of the sediment, of re-oxidized dissolved iron.     

Estimates of particle flux and reworking at the deep-sea floor using234Th/238U disequilibrium

Because of high specific activities of excess²³⁴Th (t_1/2 = 24.1 days) on suspended particles in the deep sea, this nuclide is potentially an extremely sensitive indicator of particle inputs and dynamics at the seafloor. Measurements were made at two deep-sea sites in order to examine this potential. Inventories of excess²³⁴Th at a low-current hemipelagic mud site (3990 m) in the Panama Basin were～ 1.5 (September, ′81) and～ 2.5 (June, ′82) dpm/cm². The steady state fluxes to the seafloor calculated from these inventories are in rough agreement with radionuclide fluxes measured in sediment traps. Small-scale (～ 100m) spatial variability in inventories implies biologically significant heterogeneity in particle inputs. Sediment from the continental rise site in the northwest Atlantic (2800 m), a site with higher current velocities than the Panama Basin, had an inventory of～ 1.9dpm/cm². This inventory is also in rough agreement with predictions made on the basis of nearby sediment trap data. Particle mixing coefficients of～ 30cm²/yr calculated at the Pacific and Atlantic sites are similar to those in shallow water deposits but could reflect disturbance during handling. Based on²¹⁰Pb data from the Panama Basin, sediment from below～ 6cm is mixed at a rate～ 10 × slower than the near-surface sediment to a depth of at least 20 cm. Agreement between²³⁴Th predicted mixing rates at the Panama Basin site with²¹⁰Pb profiles and in-situ experiments with glass bead tracers implies that these rates are real. Although the diffusion of dissolved²³⁴Th into deep-sea sediments complicates interpretations,²³⁴Th_xs distributions in bottom sediments offer a useful adjunct to sediment traps for investigation of particle dynamics near the deep-sea floor.     

Reconstructions of the <Superscript>14</Superscript>С cosmogenic isotope content from natural archives after the last glacial termination

Data on the content of the ¹⁴C cosmogenic isotope in tree rings, which were obtained as a result of laboratory measurements, are often used when solar activity (SA) is reconstructed for previous epochs, in which direct observations are absent. However, these data contain information not only about SA variations but also about changes in the Earth climatic parameters, such as the global temperature and the CO₂ content in the Earth’s atmosphere. The effect of these variations on the ¹⁴C isotope content in different natural reservoirs after the last glacial termination to the middle of the Holocene is considered. The global temperature and the CO₂ content increased on this time interval. In this case the ¹⁴C absolute content in the atmosphere increased on this time interval, even though the ¹⁴С to ¹²С isotope concentration ratio (as described by the Δ¹⁴С parameter) decreased. These variations in the radiocarbon absolute content can be caused by its redistribution between natural reservoirs. It has been indicated that such a redistribution is possible only when the rate of carbon exchange between the ocean and atmosphere depends on temperature. The values of the corresponding temperature coefficient for the 17–10 ka BC time interval, which make it possible to describe the carbon redistribution between the ocean and atmosphere, have been obtained.     

A dating method with39Ar

The principles of a dating method based on the cosmic-ray-produced radioisotope³⁹Ar are given. Technical requirements such as background and standard gas samples and gas proportional counting systems are described.With samples extracted from Greenland ice it can be demonstrated that³⁹Ar ages agree with ages obtained by other methods. First results on ocean water samples show that with this isotope valuable information on ocean mixing and circulation can be expected.³⁹Ar results on groundwater samples disagree for some aquifers with conventional¹⁴C ages; possible explanations are discussed, especially underground production of³⁹Ar.     

Carbon isotopic compositions of Recent planktonic foraminifera of the Indian Ocean

Carbon and oxygen isotopic determinations have been made of 29 species of Recent Indian Ocean planktonic foraminifera. Fourteen core-top samples were used and as many as 18 species were chosen from a single core-top sample. The δ¹³C of the foraminifera was compared with that of total dissolved CO₂ (ΣCO₂) and of calcite precipitated in isotopic equilibrium with ΣCO₂. The foraminiferal calcite is always at least 1.2‰ less than the value estimated for equilibrium calcite. This carbon isotopic disequilibrium suggests the partial utilization of¹³C-depleted metabolic CO₂. The calcite tests of several species, however, have δ¹³C values which are similar to the δ¹³C of ΣCO₂ in seawater. This relationship suggests that important paleohydrographic information may be obtained from carbon isotope records based on analyses of several foraminiferal species from single deep-sea sediment samples.     

230Th,226Ra and222Rn in abyssal sediments

A model that predicts the flux of²²²Rn out of deep-sea sediment is presented. The radon is ultimately generated by²³⁰Th which is stripped from the overlying water into the sediment. Data from many authors are compared with the model predictions. It is shown that the continental contribution of ionium is not significant, and that at low sedimentation rates, biological mixing and erosional processes strongly affect the surface concentration of the ionium. Two cores from areas of slow sediment accumulation, one from a manganese nodule region of the central Pacific and one from the Rio Grande Rise in the Atlantic were analyzed at closely spaced intervals for²³⁰Th,²²⁶Ra, and²¹⁰Pb. The Pacific core displayed evidence of biological mixing down to 12 cm and had a sedimentation rate of only 0.04 cm/kyr. The Atlantic core seemed to be mixed to 8 cm and had a sedimentation rate of 0.07 cm/kyr. Both cores had less total excess²³⁰Th than predicted.Radium sediment profiles are generated from the²³⁰Th model. Adsorbed, dissolved, and solid-phase radium is considered. According to the model, diffusional losses of radium are especially important at low sedimentation rates. Any particulate, or excess radium input is ignored in this model. The model fits the two analyzed cores if the fraction of total radium available for adsorption-desorption is about 0.5–0.7, and ifK, the distribution coefficient, is about 1000.Finally, the flux of radon out of the sediments is derived from the model-generated radium profiles. It is shown that the resulting standing crop of²²²Rn in the overlying water may be considered as an added constraint in budgeting²³⁰Th and²²⁶Ra in deep-sea sediments.