Dissolved Al, In, and Ce in the eastern Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asian Seas in comparison with the radionuclides 210Pb and 210Po

Abstract

To carry out comparative geochemical investigation of refractory and reactive metals in different oceanic settings covering different θ-S characteristics, productivity, dissolved oxygen profiles, water and sediment discharge, etc., we have determined the vertical profiles of dissolved (<0.04 μm) Al, In and Ce, as well as 210Pb and 210Po in the eastern Indian Ocean (from 40°S in the Southern Ocean to 8°N in the Bay of Bengal) and the Southeast Asian Seas. In the Antarctic Circumpolar Region, the concentrations of these refractory metals are very low, presumably due to very low the atmospheric input and intensified scavenging. Resemblance in the vertical profiles of these metals is often seen in some other stations. However, there are also significant differences among their distributions, for example, in the magnitude of surface enrichment caused by the external input from eolian and fluvial-coastal sources. Comparison of Al distributions in surface waters with those of atmospherically derived 210Pb suggests the relative importance of eolian input over fluvial-coastal sources. Fluvial and coastal input appears to be insignificant for dissolved In, but may be important for Ce. The mean residence time of Al in the surface mixed layer was estimated to be ∼2 years which is similar to that of 210Pb. In the intermediate and deep waters, the concentrations of each element vary with depth and location. The range of variation is in the order of Al>Ce>In, depending upon particle reactivity. Although dissolved Al decreases along the water trajectory by particle scavenging, variations of dissolved In and Ce are relatively small which may be due to less scavenging for both elements. Compared with significantly high (>4 pM) dissolved Ce throughout the water column in the Bay of Bengal, dissolved Al concentration remains low, suggesting that it has higher affinity to particles and hence is scavenged by sinking particulate matter. This is consistent with the observation that the dissolved Al in the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) decreases from 4 to 6 nM in the 30°S Perth Basin to <0.7 nM in the 10°S West Australia Basin along its trajectory. Using the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) ventilation age of AAIW (Fine, 1993), the mean residence time of Al in the intermediate and deep waters in the eastern Indian Ocean is estimated to be <17 yr, approximately the same as that of 210Pb (10–15 yr). In the semiclosed basins of Southeast Asia, the distributions of Al, In and Ce are also very unique. In the South China Sea, there is a strong sediment source for dissolved In and Ce during the deepwater passage through the Luzon Strait.