228Ra in surface water of the Seto Inland Sea

Abstract

The concentrations of228Ra in surface waters of the Seto Inland Sea were determined. Surface waters from the central region of the Seto Inland Sea, Hiuchi Nada and Bingo Nada, contained concentrations of228Ra of 655–811 dpm/1000 l which were 100 times higher than those obtained in the Pacific Ocean. These high concentrations of228Ra must be supported by a228Ra flux from the bottom sediment. The lower limit of this flux was estimated to be more than 0.16 dpm cm−2 y−1. The228Ra concentrations decreased markedly from central regions of the Seto Inland Sea to about 18 dpm/1000 l in the Kii and the Bungo Channels as salinity increased. Using a box model and the228Ra data, the mean residence time of sea water in the Seto Inland Sea with respect to the exchange with the open ocean water was estimated to be less than 10 y, and the most probable value is the order of several years.