An estuarine fine-particle budget determined from radionuclide tracers

The sedimentary distributions of radiocesium and plutonium have been used to determine patterns of fine-particle accumulation, estimate net sediment fluxes from different sources, and develop a fine-particle budget for the Hudson-Raritan estuary. It is proposed that the rates and patterns of fineparticle accumulation reflect a sediment surface in dynamic equilibrium with the wave and current regimes. Rates of accumulation in most estuarine areas appear to equal the rate to sea-level rise or land subsidence. Localized areas, which have not yet attained or are presently out of equilibrium, serve as fine particle traps.