Analysis of Ac in seawater by delayed coincidence counting

The activity of ²²⁷Ac in seawater was determined using a delayed coincidence counting technique based on the measurement of the short-lived daughter ²²³Ra (half-life of 11 days). Two 180-l aliquots of Ac free seawater from surface waters of the California borderlands were spiked with Harwell Uraninite standard and the added Ac and Ra were extracted on Mn-fibers. The measured activities on the fibers agreed to within 5% of the equilibrium Ac activity of the spike addition, well within the 2σ counting error of 7% for the measurements. Thus, any recovery error was indistinguishable from counting error. Large volume samples were collected from the water column of the Eastern North Pacific in December of 1998 and processed through Mn-fiber columns. The ²²³Ra activities on the fibers were measured four or more times over a period of 2 months by the technique of J. Geophys. Res. 101 (1996) 1321] to determine if the activity of ²²³Ra was wholly supported by ²²⁷Ac. In most cases, no significant differences in ²²³Ra activity were observed during repeated counting of the same sample, again implying that ²²³Ra was supported wholly by ²²⁷Ac. In samples where unsupported ²²³Ra were present, samples were counted beyond five half live of the ²²³Ra (>60 days). Two depth profiles of ²²⁷Ac in the Eastern North Pacific showed similar shape and activity to profiles in the Western and Central Pacific measured with alpha-spectrometry by Nature 310 (1984) 486). Surface waters of the Southern Ocean were relatively enriched in ²²⁷Ac compared to Eastern North Pacific waters, possibly indicating export of the parent ²³¹Pa from Atlantic surface waters or upwelling.