Colloidal rare earth elements in a boreal river: Changing sources and distributions during the spring flood

Abstract

Variations in the physico-chemical speciation of the rare earth elements (REE) have been investigated in a subarctic boreal river during an intense spring flood event using prefiltered (<100 μm) samples, cross-flow (ultra)filtration (CFF), flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF), and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT). This combination of techniques has provided new information regarding the release and transport of the REE in river water. The colloidal material can be described in terms of two fractions dominated by carbon and iron, respectively. These two fractions, termed colloidal carrier phases, showed significant temporal changes in concentration and size distribution. Before the spring flood, colloidal carbon concentrations were low, the colloids being dominated by relatively large iron colloids. Colloidal concentrations increased sharply during the spring flood, with smaller carbon colloids dominating. Following the spring flood, colloidal concentrations decreased again, smaller carbon colloids still dominating. The REE are transported mainly in the particulate and colloidal phases. Before the spring flood, the REE composition of all measured fractions was similar to local till. During the spring flood, the REE concentrations in the colloidal and particulate fractions increased. The increase was most marked for the lighter REE, which therefore showed a strong enrichment when normalized to local till. Following the spring flood, the REE concentrations decreased again and reverted to a distribution similar to local till. These changes in the concentration and distributions of carbon iron and REE are interpreted in terms of changing hydrological flow paths in soil and bedrock which occur during the spring flood.