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Distribution of gamma-ray radionuclides in surface sediments of the Kongsfjorden, Arctic: Implications for sediment provenance

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Abstract

The Kongsfjorden is highly sensitive region to climate variability, however, the study of gamma-ray radionuclides in related areas is relatively scarce. In this study, the grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), 13Corg isotopes, and specific activities of seven gamma nuclides were analysed in surface sediments of the Kongsfjorden in the Arctic during the summer of 2017. The specific activities of 210Pbex, 137Cs, 238U, 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th, and 40K were 12–256 Bq/kg, 0–3.8 Bq/kg, 25–42 Bq/kg, 24–38 Bq/kg, 22–40 Bq/kg, 22–40 Bq/kg, and 354–738 Bq/kg, respectively, with average values of (121±94) Bq/kg, (2.0±1.2) Bq/kg, (34±6) Bq/kg, (32±4) Bq/kg, (32±6) Bq/kg, (33±6) Bq/kg, and (611±119) Bq/kg. This study observed a significant positive correlation (r=0.845, p<0.05) between TOC and 210Pbex, highlighting the strong influence of organic matter on the distribution of 210Pbex. The boundary scavenging of 210Pb from the open sea contributed 27.5%–46.2% to the total 210Pbex in the sediments of the outer Kongsfjorden. The grain size was an important factor affecting the activity distribution of several radionuclides (238U, 228Ra, 228Th, 226Ra, and 40K). The specific activity of 137Cs indicated the transport of terrestrial materials from the exposed area of the Kongsfjorden. The sediments in the Kongsfjorden were derived from various material contributions of glacial meltwater debris, glacial rivers, bare soil, atmospheric deposition, and marine sources. This study explains the source of the Kongsfjorden sediment and the distribution characteristics of radionuclides, and illustrateas the main factors affecting the distribution of radionuclides, which provides a reference for the behavior of polar radionuclides in future research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments for improvement of the original manuscript. We thank Zhuoyi Zhu for his assistance with field sampling.

Funding

Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41706089 and 42107251.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China

    Sheng Zeng, Jinlong Wang & Jinzhou Du

  2. Monitoring Center of Aquatic Environment of Pearl River Basin, Guangzhou, 510611, China

    Binbin Deng

  3. Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan, 523808, China

    Juan Du

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  1. Sheng Zeng
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Correspondence to Jinlong Wang.

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Zeng, S., Deng, B., Wang, J. et al. Distribution of gamma-ray radionuclides in surface sediments of the Kongsfjorden, Arctic: Implications for sediment provenance. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 41, 21–29 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1916-x

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