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Using 224Ra to estimate eddy diffusivity and submarine groundwater discharge in Laizhou Bay, China

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Abstract

The short-lived 224Ra isotope was measured in coastal water samples from Laizhou Bay, China using a radium delayed coincidence counting system. Based on the horizontal distribution of 224Ra and a mixing model, the horizontal eddy diffusion coefficient was estimated to be 253.1 × 106 and 56.5 × 106 m2/d for the surface and middle layers, respectively. The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) into the bay was estimated on the basis of the 224Ra mass balance model. The estimate of the SGD into the bay is 4.2 × 108 m3/d, approximately six times the annual average flux of the Yellow River.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41025009 and 41272267). The authors thank Tao Zheng, Zhenfei Xu, Long Xi, Kai Xiao, Shengtao Zheng and Zhigang Cheng for their field work. The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xuejing Wang & Hailong Li

  2. MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation & Environment Evolution and School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xuejing Wang, Hailong Li, Wenjing Qu & Chaoyue Wang

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Xin Luo & JiuJiu Jiao

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  1. Xuejing Wang
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  2. Hailong Li
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  3. Xin Luo
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Correspondence to Hailong Li.

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Wang, X., Li, H., Luo, X. et al. Using 224Ra to estimate eddy diffusivity and submarine groundwater discharge in Laizhou Bay, China. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 308, 403–411 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4495-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4495-5

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