Distribution of Natural Uranium, Thorium, Lead, and Polonium Radionuclides in Tidal Phases of a Delaware Salt Marsh

Abstract

Natural radionuclides in the uranium and thorium series were measured in solid tidal phases (suspended particles, bottom sediment, surface microlayer colloids) of a salt marsh in lower Delaware. The purpose was to identify potential processes responsible for trace element cycling (sources, redistribution and exchange) in salt water marshes and with their coastal waters. Generally, concentrations of U, Th,210Pb, and210Po on the tidal solid phases suggest a general mechanism by which tidal marshes appear to be trapping the nuclides into their interiors. The processes may include transport of enriched fine particles into the marsh, capture by salt marsh grass and chemical fixation by redox processes at the sediment surface. Specifically, the uranium contents of most of the samples are similar with activity ratios234U238U≧1, indicating a mixture of detrital and nondetrital (authigenic) uranium inputs such as seawater or ground water. Since the230Th daughter is generally deficient by about 50%, the authigenic enrichment process appears to favor uranium and is potentially linked to the extensive diagenetic sulfur redox cycle of salt marsh sediments. The210Po/210Pb activity ratio is less than one on Spartina adsorbed solids, and could suggest a general process in salt marshes which favors210Pb enrichment by atmospheric fallout over enrichment of210Po on time scales of weeks which correspond to complete tide marsh exchange. A228Th/232Th activity ratio of less than unity on the solids adsorbed onto marsh grass suggests a net process whereby diffusive loss of the intermediate daughter228Ra from the adsorbed solids to tidal waters dominates over potential228Th scavenging by suspended sediment.