Distributions and removal fluxes of trace metals in the water column of the Hung-Tsai Trough off southwestern Taiwan

Vertical profiles of dissolved and particulate Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and (234)Th were determined in the Hung-Tsai Trough off southwestern Taiwan during 19-23 November, 2004. Except in the case of Cd, the distribution coefficient (K(d)) of the trace elements showed a negative correlation with the suspended particle concentration. Based on the average K(d) values, the general sequence of particle affinities for the eight trace elements is, from highest to lowest, Fe>Mn≈Pb>Zn≈Th>Cd≈Cu≈Ni. The trace metal data was coupled with the particle removal flux estimated from (234)Th/(238)U disequilibrium to investigate metal removal by particle sinking from the euphotic layer. The residence time of trace elements with respect to particle removal from the euphotic layer was estimated. A negative correlation between the residence time and the distribution coefficient for the trace metals was found.     

Distribution and Removal of Silver and Lead in the Nearshore Waters of Western Taiwan

Concentrations of Al, Mn, Fe, Ag, and Pb in dissolved and particulate phases of the surface water were determined at 15 stations along the coastline off western Taiwan in April of 2007. This study presents the first set of data for Al, Ag, and Pb in the nearshore waters. Latitudinal distribution of these metals showed that high values were present in the regions affected by high fluvial discharge from the Dan-Sui River and the Cho-Sui River. Using the particle fluxes from ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb disequilibria, the removal fluxes and the residence times of the trace metals were calculated. Based on the K _d values, the sequence of particle affinity of trace metals, Fe ~ Al >> Pb > Mn > Ag, was found. The correlation of the residence times and of the partitioning coefficients of multiple metals in the nearshore waters implies that the affinities to the particles determine the geochemical cycling of metals in the coastal water.     

Sediment trap experiments in the water column off southwestern Taiwan:234Th fluxes

The activity of²³⁴Th (t _1/2=24.1 days) in dissolved, particulate and sediment trap samples was determined in the water column off southwestern Taiwan during 2–4 October, 1993. Vertical²³⁴Th fluxes measured by the free-floating sediment traps ranged from 363 to 2290 dpm m^–2 d^–1 in the upper 450 m. Th-234 fluxes predicted from the irreversible scavenging model concur with those measured by the sediment traps. Comparison of the residence times of particulate²³⁴Th and particulate organic carbon showed that their respective values differ by a factor of approximately 23, which suggests organic carbon is preferentially recycled relative to²³⁴Th in the euphotic zone.     

Removal fluxes of Mn and Fe from the nearshore waters along the west coast of Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate Mn and Fe in the nearshore waters were determined at 27 stations along the west coast of Taiwan during 19-23 November 2004. The latitudinal distributions of Mn and Fe were very similar; however, the concentration in the dissolved phase was lower, whereas that in the particulate phase was higher in the northern regime. The higher percentage of Fe than Mn that was associated with particles resulted in a two-order of magnitude higher particle-water partition coefficient for Fe, K_d(Fe), than that for Mn, K_d(Mn). The removal fluxes of Mn and Fe could be estimated by multiplying the particulate ²³⁴Th removal flux with the Mn/²³⁴Th and Fe/²³⁴Th ratios in suspended particles, which ranged from 0.1 to 3.8 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ for Mn, and from 3.4 to 194.5 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹ for Fe. Residence times ranged from 1 to 20 days for Mn and Fe were estimated in the nearshore.     

Controls of 234Th removal from the oligotrophic ocean by polyuronic acids and modification by microbial activity

To gain new insights into the variability of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes and to better understand the factors controlling the POC/²³⁴Th ratios in suspended and sinking particulate matter, we investigated the relationships between POC/²³⁴Th ratios and biochemical composition (uronic acids, URA; total carbohydrates, TCHO; acid polysaccharides, APS; and POC) of suspended and sinking matter from the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and 2006. Our data show that URA/POC in sediment traps (STs), APS/POC in the suspended particles, and turnover times of particulate ²³⁴Th in the water column and those of bacteria in STs inside eddies usually increased with depth, whereas particulate POC/²³⁴Th (10–50 μm) and the sediment-trap parameters (POC flux, POC/²³⁴Th ratio, bacterial biomass, and bacterial production) decreased with depth. However, this trend was not the case for most biological parameters (e.g., phytoplankton and bacterial biomass) or for the other parameters at the edges of eddies or at coastal-upwelling sites.In general, the following relationships were observed: 1) ²³⁴Th/POC ratios in STs were correlated with APS flux, and these ratios in the 10–50 μm suspended particles also correlated with URA/POC ratios; 2) neither URA fluxes nor URA/POC ratios were significantly related to bacterial biomass; 3) the sum of two uronic acids (G2, glucuronic, and galacturonic acid, which composed most of the URA pool) was positively related to bacterial biomass; and 4) the POC/²³⁴Th ratios in intermediate-sized particles (10–50 μm) were close to those in sinking particles but much lower than those in > 50 μm particles. The results indicate that acid polysaccharides, though a minor fraction (~ 1%) of the organic carbon, act more likely as proxy compound classes that might contain the more refractory ²³⁴Th-binding biopolymer, rather than acting as the original ²³⁴Th “scavenger” compound. Moreover, these acid polysaccharides, which might first be produced by phytoplankton and then modified by bacteria, also influence the on-and-off “piggy-back” processes of organic matter and ²³⁴Th, thus causing additional variability of the POC/²³⁴Th in particles of different sizes.     

Nearshore scavenging phenomenon elucidated by <Superscript>234</Superscript>th/<Superscript>238</Superscript>u disequilibrium in the coastal waters off Western Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th activities in surface seawater were determined at 27 stations along the coastline of western Taiwan during 19–23 November 2004. Contrasting scavenging settings were observed between the northern and southern regimes of the nearshore water off western Taiwan, separated by the Cho-Shui River. The northern regime is characterized by a large quantity of suspended load contributed by northward transport of a suspension plume from the Cho-Shui River, while the southern regime, low in suspended load and high in chlorophyll concentration, is a system controlled by biological activity. A scavenging model that takes account of the physical transport was used to estimate the ²³⁴Th budget in order to estimate the scavenging and removal rates from the nearshore water. The scavenging and removal rates ranged from 21 to 127 dpm m⁻³d⁻¹ and from 36 to 525 dpm m⁻³d⁻¹, for dissolved and particulate ²³⁴Th, respectively. The removal fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were estimated by multiplying the particulate ²³⁴Th removal flux to the organic carbon/²³⁴Th and nitrogen/²³⁴Th ratios in suspended particles, which ranged from 4.5 to 275.2 mmol-C m⁻²d⁻¹ and from 1.3 to 50.1 mmol-N m⁻²d⁻¹, respectively. These fluxes resulted in residence times of 1∼20 days for the POC in the surface water of nearshore water off western Taiwan.     

Spatial variation of234Th scavenging in the surface water of the Bashi Channel and the Luzon Strait

Activities of dissolved and particulate²³⁴Th were measured to study the spatial variation of scavenging phenomena in the surface water of the Bashi Channel and the Luzon Strait. Using an irreversible scavenging model, the residence times for total, dissolved, and particulate²³⁴Th are 28–613, 8–156, and 7–306 days, respectively. Along the PR21 transect of the WOCE project, three major domains can be identified based on the hydrography and the²³⁴Th data: the Bashi Channel, the Northern Luzon Strait, and the Southern Luzon Strait. Tight correlation between the scavenging constant and the suspended particle matter (TSM) concentration in the surface water of the Northern Luzon Strait implies that TSM concentration is an important parameter in studying thorium scavenging.     

Geochemical behavior of 210Pb and 210Po in the nearshore waters off western Taiwan

Dissolved and particulate (210)Pb and (210)Po were determined at 15 stations along the coastline off western Taiwan in April 2007. The (210)Pb activities in dissolved and particulate phases fell within a relatively small range of 2.4-5.2 dpm 100 L(-1) and 1.0-3.2 dpm 100 L(-1), respectively. The dissolved and particulate (210)Po activities also fell within a small range of 0.8-3.4 dpm 100 L(-1) and 1.1-2.9 dpm 100 L(-1), respectively. The correlation of the distribution coefficients (K(d)) of (210)Pb and (210)Po with particle concentration in turbid waters are not as evident as in the open ocean. The mass balance calculation shows that the residence times of (210)Pb and (210)Po with respect to particle removal from the nearshore waters ranges from 3 to 15 days and from 14 to 125 days, respectively. The flux of particulate organic carbon was estimated by (210)Po proxy and ranged from 4.8 to 33.7 mmol-C m(-2) d(-1).