Solubility behavior of atmospheric Be in the marine environment

The solubility of natural ⁷Be from air particulate matter in seawater was determined as a function of time. Adsorption of the thus solubilized ⁷Be on a variety of substrates was investigated. ⁷Be appears to be strongly adsorbed on suspended matter and inorganic materials at high suspended loads (> 20 mg 1⁻¹), but at natural levels (1 mg 1⁻¹) is only partially adsorbed. Further, at natural concentrations of suspended matter, adsorption of ⁷Be appears to be directly proportional to suspended load. Because a non-steady-state flux of ⁷Be to the bottom could be expected over its 53-day half-life, ⁷Be may be a poor tracer of sedimentation rates and sediment redistribution processes.