Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Applications of Short-Lived Radionuclides (7Be, 210Pb, 210Po, 137Cs and 234Th) to Trace the Sources, Transport Pathways and Deposition of Particles/Sediments in Rivers, Estuaries and Coasts

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Advances in Isotope Geochemistry ((ADISOTOPE))

Abstract

Natural and anthropogenic radioisotopes can be used to determine not only the mixing and diffusion processes of water masses but also the sources and sedimentary dynamics of particles in aquatic systems such as rivers, estuaries and oceans. Particle-reactive radionuclides that are derived from atmospheric deposition and/or the decay from their parent nuclides in aqueous system, can be used to determine the removal rates of suspended particulate matter, sediment focusing/erosion, sediment resuspension rates and sediment accumulation and mixing rates. They can be also used as analogs for tracing the transport and fates of other particle-reactive contaminants, such as PCBs and PAH. In this chapter, we focus on various applications of short-lived radionuclides (i.e., 7Be, 210Pb, 210Po, 137Cs and 234Th) as tracers for particle and sediment dynamics to quantify several river, estuary and coastal oceanic processes with their concerned timescales ranging from a few days to about 100 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allison MA, Kineke GC, Gordon ES et al (2000) Development and reworking of a seasonal flood deposit on the inner continental shelf off the Atchafalaya River. Cont Shelf Res 20:2267–2294

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison MA, Sheremet A, Goñic MA (2005) Storm layer deposition on the Mississippi–Atchafalaya subaqueous delta generated by Hurricane Lili in 2002. Cont Shelf Res 25:2213–2232

    Google Scholar 

  • Appleby P, Oldfield F (1978) The calculation of lead-210 dates assuming a constant rate of supply of unsupported lead-210 to the sediment. Catena 5:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M (1995) A search for the seasonal variability on the depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb. J Geophys Res 100:2833–2840

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M (2011) Po-210 and Pb-210 as atmospheric tracers and global atmospheric Pb-210 fallout: a review. J Environ Radioactiv 102:500–513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Santschi PH (1993) The role of particles and colloids in the transport of radionuclides in coastal environments of Texas. Mar Chem 43:95–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Santschi PH (2002) Particulate and dissolved 210Pb activities in the shelf and slope regions of the Gulf of Mexico waters. Cont Shelf Res 22:1493–1510

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Swarzenski PW (2007) Seasonal variations on the residence times and partitioning of short-lived radionuclides (234Th, 7Be and 210Pb) and depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb in Tampa Bay, Florida. Mar Chem 104:27–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Coleman CH, Santschi PH (1993) Atmospheric depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb at Galveston and College Station, Texas. J Geophys Res 98:20255–20571

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Swarzenski PW, Porcelli P (2003) Role of colloidal material in the removal of 234Th in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Deep Sea Res I 50:1353–1373

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Hong GH, Santschi PH (2009a) Radionuclide analysis in seawater, Chapter 13. In: Wurl O (ed) Practical guidelines for the analysis of seawater. CRC press, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Baskaran M, Swarzenski PW, Biddanda BA (2009b) Constraints on the utility of MnO2 cartridge method for the extraction of radionuclides: a case study using 234Th. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 10, Q04011, doi:10.1029/2008GC002340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benitez-Nelson CR, Buesseler KO (1999) Phosphorus-32, phosphorus-33, beryllium-7 and lead-210: atmospheric fluxes and utility in tracing stratosphere/troposphere exchange. J Geophys Res 104:11745–11754

    Google Scholar 

  • Benitez-Nelson CR, Buesseler KO, Rutgers van der Loeff M et al (2001) Testing a new small-volume technique for determining 234Th in seawater. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 248:795–799

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhat SG, Krishnaswami S, Lal D et al (1969) 234Th/238U ratios in the ocean. Earth Planet Sci Lett 5:483–491

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen VT, Roether W (1973) Vertical distributions of strontium-90, cesium-137 and tritium about 45° north latitude in the Atlantic. J Geophys Res 78:6277–6285

    Google Scholar 

  • Broecker WS, Kaufman A, Trier RM (1973) The residence time of thorium in surface sea water and its implication regarding the fate of reactive pollutants. Earth Planet Sci Lett 20:35–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Broecker WS, Patzert WC, Toggweiler JR et al (1986) Hydrography, chemistry and radioisotopes in the Southeast-Asian Basins. J Geophys Res 91:14345–14354

    Google Scholar 

  • Buesseler KO, Casso SA, Hartman MC, Livingston HD (1990) Determination of fission-products and actinides in the Black Sea following the Chernobyl accident. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 138:33–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Buesseler KO, Cochran JK, Bacon MP et al (1992) Determination of thorium isotopes in seawater by non-destructive and radiochemical procedures. Deep Sea Res 39:1103–1114

    Google Scholar 

  • Buesseler KO, Andrews JA, Hartman MC et al (1995) Regional estimates of the export flux of particulate organic carbon derived from thorium-234 during the JGOFS EgPac program. Deep Sea Res II 42:777–804

    Google Scholar 

  • Buesseler KO, Benitez-Nelson CR, Rutgers van der Loeff M et al (2001a) A comparison of methods with a new small-volume technique for thorium-234 in seawater. Mar Chem 74:15–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Buesseler KO, Ball L, Andrews J et al (2001b) Upper ocean export of particulate organic carbon in the Arabian Sea derived from thorium-234. Deep Sea Res II 45:2461–2467

    Google Scholar 

  • Canuel EA, Martens CS, Benninger LK (1990) Seasonal variations in 7Be activity in the sediments of Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:237–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho PF (1997) Distribution, cycling and mean residence time of 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po in the Tagus estuary. Sci Total Environ 196:151–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherrier J, Burnett WC, LaRock PA (1995) Uptake of polonium and sulfur by bacteria. Geomicrobiol J 13:103–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Church TM, Hussain N, Ferdelman TG et al (1994) An efficient quantitative technique for the simultaneous analyses of radon daughters Pb-210, Bi-210 and Po-210. Talanta 41:243–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran JK, McKibbin-Vaughan T, Dornblaser MM et al (1990) 210Pb scavenging in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. Earth Planet Sci Lett 97:332–352

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbett R, McKee B, Duncan D (2004) An evaluation of mobile mud dynamics in the Mississippi River deltaic region. Mar Geol 209:91–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Du J, Zhang J, Zhang J et al (2008) Deposition patterns of atmospheric 7Be and 210Pb in Coast of East China Sea, Shanghai, China. Atmos Environ 42:5101–5109

    Google Scholar 

  • Du J, Wu Y, Huang D et al (2010) Use of 7Be, 210Pb and 137Cs tracers to the transport of surface sediments of the Changjiang Estuary, China. J Mar Syst 82:286–294

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsinger RJ, Moore WS (1983) 224Ra, 228Ra and 226Ra in Winyah Bay and Delaware Bay. Earth Planet Sci Lett 64:430–436

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng H, Cochran JK, Hirschberg DJ (1999a) 234Th and 7Be as tracers for the transport and dynamics of suspended particles in a partially mixed estuary. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 23:2487–2505

    Google Scholar 

  • Feng H, Cochran JK, Hirschberg DJ (1999b) 234Th and 7Be as tracers for the sources of particles to the turbidity maximum of the hudson river estuary. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 49:629–645

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher NS, Burns KA, Cherry RD et al (1983) Accumulation and cellular distribution of 241Am, 210Po, and 210Pb in two marine algae. Mar Eco Prog Ser 11:233–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher NS, Cochran JK, Krishnaswami S et al (1988) Predicting the oceanic flux of radionuclides on sinking biogenic debris. Nature 355:622–625

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald SA, Klump JV, Swarzenski PW, Mackenzie RA, Richards KD (2001) Beryllium-7 as a Tracer of Short-Term Sediment Deposition and Resuspension in the Fox River, Wisconsin. Environ Sci Technol 35:300–305

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster JM, Shimmield GB (2002) Th-234 as a tracer of particle flux and POC export in the northern North Sea during a coccolithophore bloom. Deep Sea Res II 49:2965–2977

    Google Scholar 

  • Fridrich J, Rutgers van der Loeff M (2002) A two-tracer(210Po-234Th)approach to distinguish organic carbon and biogenic silica export flux in the Antarctic circumpolar current. Deep Sea Res I 49:101–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Giffin D, Corbett R (2003) Evaluation of sediment dynamics in coastal systems via short-lived radioisotopes. J Mar Syst 42:83–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg ED, Gamble E, Griffin JJ et al (1977) Pollution history of Narragansett Bay as recorded in its sediments. Estuar Coast Mar Sci 5:549–561

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson Ö, Gschwend PM, Buesseler KO (1997a) Settling removal rates of PCBs into the Northwestern Atlantic derived from 238U-234Th disequilibria. Environ Sci Technol 31(12):3544–3550

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson Ö, Gschwend PM, Buesseler KO (1997b) Using Th-234 disequilibria to estimate the vertical removal rates of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the surface ocean. Mar Chem 57(1–2):11–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson Ö, Gschwend PM (1998) The Flux of Black Carbon to Surface Sediments on the New England Continental Shelf. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 62:465–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey BR, Lovett MB (1984) The use of yield tracers for the determination of alpha emitting actinides in the marine environment. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res 223:224–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawley N, Robbins JA, Eadie BJ (1986) The partitioning of beryllium-7 in fresh water. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 50:1127–1131

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirose K, Aoyama M, Igarashi Y et al (2005) Extremely low background measurements of 137Cs in seawater samples using an underground facility (Ogoya). J Radioanal Nucl Chem 263:349–353

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirose K, Igarashi Y, Aoyama M (2008) Analysis of the 50-year records of the atmospheric deposition of long-lived radionuclides in Japan. Appl Radiat Isot 66:1675–1678

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong GH, Park SK, Baskaran M et al (1999) Lead-210 and Polonium-210 in the winter well-mixed turbid waters in the mouth of the yellow sea. Cont Shelf Res 19:1049–1064

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong GH, Hamilton TF, Baskaran M, Kenna TC (2011) Applications of anthropogenic radionuclides as tracers to investigate marine environmental processes. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Huh CA, Liu JT, Lin HL et al (2009) Tidal and flood signatures of settling particles in the Gaoping submarine canyon (SW Taiwan) revealed from radionuclide and flow measurements. Mar Geol 267:8–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussain N, Church TM, Veron AJ (1998) Radon daughter disequilibria and lead systematics in the western North Atlantic. J Geophys Res 103(D3):16059–16071

    Google Scholar 

  • Jweda, J (2007) Short-lived radionuclides (210Pb, 7Be and 137Cs) as tracers of particle dynamics and chronometers for sediment accumulation and mixing rates in a river system in Southeast Michigan. M.S. Thesis, Department of Geology, Wayne State University, pp 167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jweda J, Baskaran M, van Hees Ed (2008) Short-lived radionuclides (7Be and 210Pb) as tracers of particle dynamics in a river system in southeast Michigan. Limnol Oceanogr 53:1934–1944

    Google Scholar 

  • Kadko D, Olson D (1996) Be-7 as a tracer of surface water subduction and mixed layer history. Deep Sea Res I 43:89–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaste JM, Baskaran M (2011) Meteoric 7Be and 10Be as process tracers in the environment. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaste JM, Norton SA, Hess CT (2002) Environmental chemistry of beryllium-7. Rev Mineral Geochem 50:271–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Kersten M, Thomsen S, Priebsch W et al (1998) Scavenging and particle residence times determined from 234Th/238U disequilibria in the coastal waters of Mecklenburg Bay. Appl Geochem 13:339–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim G, Church TM (2011) Po-210 in the environment: biogeochemical cycling and bioavailability. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim Y, Yang HS (2004) Scavenging of 234Th and 210Po in surface water of Jinhae Bay, Korea during a red tide. Geochem J 38:505–513

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim SK, Hong GH, Baskaran M et al (1998) Wet removal of atmospheric 7Be and 210Pb at the Korean Yellow Sea Coast. The Yellow Sea 4:58–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim G, Alleman LY, Church TM (1999) Atmospheric depositional fluxes of trace element, 210Pb, and 7Be to the Sargasso sea. Global Biogeochem Cycle 13(4):1183–1192

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim G, Hussain N, Scudlark JR et al (2000) Factors influencing the atmospheric depositional fluxes of stable Pb, 210Pb, and 7Be into Chesapeake Bay. J Atmos Chem 36:65–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Koide M, Soutar A, Goldberg ED (1972) Marine geochronology with 210Pb. Earth Planet Sci Lett 14:2–446

    Google Scholar 

  • Lal D and Peters B (1967) Cosmic ray produced radioactivity on the Earth. In: Encyclopedia of physics. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Lal D, Baskaran M (2011) Applications of cosmogenic-isotopes as atmospheric tracers. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Larock P, Hyun JH, Boutelle S et al (1996) Bacterial mobilization of polonium. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 60(22):4321–4328

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima AL, Hudeny JB, Reddy CM et al (2005) High-resolution historical records from Pettaquamscutt River basin sediments: 1. 210Pb and varve chronologies validate record of 137Cs released by the Chernobyl accident. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 69:1803–1812

    Google Scholar 

  • Masarik J, Beer J (1999) Simulations of particle fluxes and cosmogenic nuclide production in the earth‘s atmosphere. J Geophys Res D104:12099–13012

    Google Scholar 

  • Masque P, Sanchez-Cabeza JA, Bruach JM et al (2002) Balance and residence times of 210Pb and 210Po in surface waters of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Cont Shelf Res 22:2127–2146

    Google Scholar 

  • Matisoff G, Whiting PJ (2011) Measuring soil erosion rates using natural (7Be, 210Pb) and anthropogenic (137Cs, 239,240Pu) radionuclides. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Matisoff G, Wilson CG, Whiting PJ (2005) The 7Be/210Pbxs ratio as an indicator of suspended sediment age or fraction new sediment in suspension. Earth Surf Process Landforms 30:1191–1201

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews KM, Kim CK, Martin P (2007) Determination of 210Po in environmental materials: a review of analytical methodology. Appl Radiat Isot 65:267–279

    Google Scholar 

  • McKee BA, DeMaster DJ, Nittrouer CA (1984) The use of 234Th/238U disequilibrium to examine the fate of particle-reactive species on the Yangtze continental shelf. Earth Planetary Sci Lett 68:431–442

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore WS (1976) Sampling 228Ra in the deep ocean. Deep Sea Res 23:647–651

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore WS, Dymond J (1988) Correlation of 210Pb removal with organic carbon fluxes in the Pacific Ocean. Nature 331:339–341

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray CN, Kautsky H, Hoppenheit M (1978) Actinide activities in water entering the northern North Sea. Nature 276:225–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki Y (1993) Actinium-227: a steady state tracer for the deep-sea basin-wide circulation and mixing studies. In: Teramoto Y (ed) Deep ocean circulation: physical and chemical aspects. Amsterdam, Elsevier

    Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki Y, Zhang J, Takeda A (1997) 210Pb and 210Po in the equatorial Pacific and the Bering Sea: the effects of biological productivity and boundary scavenging. Deep Sea Res II 44:2203–2220

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsen CR, Larsen IL, Lowry PD et al (1986) Geochemistry and deposition of 7Be in river-esturine and coastal waters. J Geophys Res 91(Cl):896–908

    Google Scholar 

  • Palinkas CM, Nittrouer CA, Wheatcroft RA et al (2005) The use of 7Be to identify event and seasonal sedimentation near the Po River delta, Adriatic Sea. Mar Geol 222–223:95–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Pates JM, Cook GT, MacKenzie AB et al (1996) Determination of 234Th in marine samples by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Anal Chem 68:3783–3788

    Google Scholar 

  • Porcelli D, Baskaran M (2011) An overview of isotope geochemistry in environmental studies. In: Baskaran M (ed) Handbook of environmental isotope geochemistry. Springer, Heidelberg

    Google Scholar 

  • Radakovitch O, Cherry RD, Heyraud M et al (1998) Unusual Po-210/Pb-210 ratio in the surface water of the Gulf of Lions. Oceanol Acta 21:459–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravichandran M, Baskaran M, Santschi PH et al (1995) Geochronology of sediments in the Sabine-Neches estuary, Texas, USA. Chem Geol 125:291–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins JA, Edgington DN (1975) Determination of recent sedimentation rates in Lake Michigan using 210Pb and 137Cs. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 39:285–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Roether W (1971) Flushing of the Gerard-Ewing large-volume water sampler. J Geophys Res 76:5910–5912

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutgers van der Loeff M, Berger GW (1993) Scavenging of 230Th and 231Pa near the Antarctic Polar Front in the South Atlantic. Deep Sea Res I 40:339–357

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutgers van der Loeff M, Moore WS (1999) The analysis of natural radionuclides in seawater. In: Grasshoff K, Ehrhadt MG, Kremling K (eds) Methods of seawater analysis, 3rd edn. Chemie, Weinheim

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutgers van der Loeff M, Meyer R, Rudels B, Rachor E (2002) Resuspension and particle export in the benthic nepheloid layer in and near Fram Strait in relation to faunal abundances and Th-234 depletion. Deep Sea Res I 49:1941–1958

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutgers van der Loeff M, Sarin MM, Baskaran M (2006) A review of present techniques and methodological advances in analyzing 234Th in aquatic systems. Mar Chem 100:190–212

    Google Scholar 

  • Santschi PH, Li YH, Bell J (1979) Natural radionuclides in the water of Narragansett Bay. Earth Planet Sci Lett 45:201–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarin MM, Bhushan R, Remgarajan R et al (1992) The simultaneous determination of 238U series nuclides in seawater: results from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Indian J Mar Sci 21:121–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith JN, Ellis KM, Jones EP (1990) Caesium-137 transport into the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait. J Geophys Res 95(C2):1693–1701

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KJ, Vintro LL, Mitchell PI et al (2004) Uranium-thorium disequilibrium in north-east Atlantic waters. J Environ Radioact 74:199–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommerfield CK, Nittrouer CA, Alexander CR (1999) 7Be as a tracer of flood sedimentation on the northern California continental margin. Cont Shelf Res 19:335–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart G, Cochran JK, Xue J et al (2007) Exploring the connection between 210Po and organic matter in the northwestern Mediterranean. Deep Sea Res I 54:415–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Su CC, Huh CA, Lin FJ (2003) Factors controlling atmospheric fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb in northern Taiwan. Geophys Res Lett 30(19):2018. doi:10.1029/2003GL018221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swarzenski PW, Reich CD, Spechler RM et al (2001) Using multiple geochemical tracers to characterize the hydrogeology of the submarine spring off Crescent Beach, Florida. Chem Geol 179:187–202

    Google Scholar 

  • Swarzenski PW, Porcelli D, Andersson Per S et al (2003) The behavior of U- and Th-series nuclides in the Estuarine environment. Rev Mineral Geochem 52:577–606

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomson J, Colley S, Anderson R et al (1993) 210Pb in the sediments water column of the Northeast Atlantic from 47 to 59°N along 20°W. Earth Planet Sci Lett 115:75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Trimble SM, Baskaran M, Porcelli D (2004) Scavenging of thorium isotopes in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Earth Planet Sci Lett 222:915–932

    Google Scholar 

  • Turekian KK, Graustein WC (2003) Natural radionuclide in the atmosphere. Treatise Geochem 4:261–279

    Google Scholar 

  • UNSCEAR (1982) Ionizing radiation: sources and biological effects. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • UNSCEAR (2000) Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Walling DE, Quine TA (1993) Use of Cs-137 as a tracer of erosion and sedimentation: handbook for the application of the Cs-137 technique. University of Exeter, Exeter

    Google Scholar 

  • Walling DE, He Q, Blake W (1999) Use of 7Be and 137Cs measurements to document short- and medium-term rates of water-induced erosion and agricultural land. Water Resour Res 35:3865–3874

    Google Scholar 

  • Waples JT, Orlandini KA, Weckerly KM et al (2003) Measuring low concentrations of 234Th in water and sediment. Mar Chem 80:265–281

    Google Scholar 

  • Waples JT, Benitez-Nelson CR, Savoye N et al (2006) An introduction to the application and future use of 234Th in aquatic systems. Mar Chem 100:166–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein SE, Moran SB (2005) Vertical flux of particulate Al, Fe, Pb and Ba from the upper ocean determined using 234Th/238U disequilibrium. Deep Sea Res I 52:1477–1488

    Google Scholar 

  • Whiting PJ, Matisoff G, Fornes W et al (2005) Suspended sediment sources and transport distances in the Yellowstone River basin. GSA Bullet 117:515–529

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson CG, Matisoff G, Whiting PJ (2007) The use of 7Be and 210Pbex to differentiate fine suspended sediment sources in South Slough, Oregon. Estuar Coast 30(2):348–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshizawa Y (1958) Beta and gamma ray spectroscopy of 137Cs. Nucl Phys 5:122–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuo ZZ, Eisma D, Berger GW (1990) Determination of sediment accumulation and mixing rate in the Gulf of Lion, the Mediterranean Sea. Water Poll Res Rep 20:469–499

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (41021064; 40976054) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of PR China (2011CB409801). We thank the two reviewers (Chih-An Huh and Brent A. McKee) for their critical reviews of the earlier version of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    J. Z. Du & J. Zhang

  2. Department of Geology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    M. Baskaran

Authors
  1. J. Z. Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Baskaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Z. Du .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geology, Wayne State University, Detroit, 48202, Michigan, USA

    Mark Baskaran

Appendix: Descriptions of symbols and abbreviation used in this chapter

Appendix: Descriptions of symbols and abbreviation used in this chapter

Symbols

Meaning

Unit

\( {A_{Th}}/{A_{Be}}/{A_{Pb}} \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb in the water column

Bq cm−3

\( A_{Th}^p/A_{_{Be}}^p/A_{Pb}^p \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb in the particulate phase

Bq g−1 or Bq cm−3

\( A_{Th}^d/A_{_{Be}}^d/A_{Pb}^d \)

Activity of 234Th/7Be/210Pb in the dissolved phase

Bq cm−3

\( A_{_{Th}}^{sed}/A_{_{Be}}^{sed}/A_{Pb}^{sed} \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb in surficial bottom sediments subject to resuspension

Bq g−1

\( A_{_{Th}}^{adv}/A_{_{Be}}^{adv}/A_{Pb}^{sdv} \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb on advected particles

Bq g−1

\( A_{_{Th}}^{resus}/A_{_{Be}}^{resus}/A_{Pb}^{resus} \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb on resuspension particles from sea bed

Bq g−1

\( A_{_{Th}}^{trap}/A_{_{Be}}^{trap}/A_{Pb}^{trap} \)

Activity of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb on settling particles collected by sediment trap

Bq g−1

\( {\lambda_{Th}}/{\lambda_{Be}}/{\lambda_{Pb}} \)

Decay constant of 234Th/7Be/210Pb

day−1

\( {k_{Th}}/{k_{Be}}/{k_{Pb}} \)

Rate constant for the scavenging of dissolved 234Th/7Be/210Pb onto particles

day−1

\( {\kappa_{Th}}/{\kappa_{Be}}/{\kappa_{Pb}} \)

Removal rate constant of excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb in the water column

day−1

\( \varphi_{Th}/\varphi_{Be}/\varphi_{Pb} \)

Removal flux of excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb from water column

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \varphi_{Th}^p/\varphi_{Be}^p/\varphi_{Pb}^p \)

Removal flux of particulate excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb from water column to the sea bed

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \kappa_{Th}^p/\kappa_{Be}^p/\kappa_{Pb}^p \)

Removal rate constant of particulate excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb in the water column

day−1

\( {I_{\rm{Be}}}/{I_{Pb}} \)

7Be/210Pb atmospheric deposition flux

Bq cm−2 day−1

\( {A_U}/{A_{Ra}} \)

Activity of 238U/226Ra in the water column

Bq cm−3

h

Water depth

cm

\( \varphi_{Th}^{resus}/\varphi_{Be}^{resus}/\varphi_{Pb}^{resus} \)

Resuspension flux of particulate excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb from the sea bed

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \varphi_{Th}^{adv}/\varphi_{Be}^{adv}/\varphi_{Pb}^{advs} \)

Advective flux of particulate excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \varphi_{Th}^{prod}/\varphi_{Be}^{prod}/\varphi_{Pb}^{prod} \)

Supply flux of excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb from 238U decay or the atmosphere (7Be, 210Pb) followed by rapid scavenging fluxes

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \varphi_{Th}^{total}/\varphi_{Be}^{total}/\varphi_{Pb}^{total} \)

Total supply flux of particulate excess 234Th/7Be/excess 210Pb into turbidity maximum zone

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \phi_{Th}^{resus}/\phi_{Be}^{resus}/\phi_{Pb}^{resus} \)

Sediment resuspension flux by excess 234Th and 7Be and excess 210Pb from the sea bed

g cm−2 day−1

\( \phi_{part}^{resus}/\phi_{part}^{adv}/\phi_{part}^{total} \)

Particle flux from resuspension/advective input/total input

g cm−3 day−1

\( \phi^{sed}/\phi^{er} \)

Sedimentary deposition/erosion flux

g cm−2 day−1

\( {\tau_{Pb}} = 1/{\kappa_{Pb}} \)

Residence times for total 210Pb in the water column

Day

\( \nu \)

Horizontal flux constant

cm day−1

\( \varphi_{Be}^{river}/\varphi_{Pb}^{river} \)

Riverine input particulate 7Be and excess 210Pb

Bq cm−3 day−1

\( \varphi_{Be}^{out}/\varphi_{Pb}^{out} \)

Riverine output flux of particulate 7Be and excess 210Pb

Bq cm−3 day−1

C PCB/PAH

Concentration of PCB/PAH in mixing layer of water column

g m−3

\( \phi_{PCB/PAH} \)

Vertical flux of PCB/PAH from mixing layer of water column

g cm−3 day−1

AMP

Amaniamolybdenum (III) phosphate

 

SPM

Suspended particle matter

 

PCB

Polychlorinated biphenyl

 

PAH

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

 

LSS

Liquid scintillation spectrometry

 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Du, J.Z., Zhang, J., Baskaran, M. (2012). Applications of Short-Lived Radionuclides (7Be, 210Pb, 210Po, 137Cs and 234Th) to Trace the Sources, Transport Pathways and Deposition of Particles/Sediments in Rivers, Estuaries and Coasts. In: Baskaran, M. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Isotope Geochemistry. Advances in Isotope Geochemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10637-8_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation