Rare earth elements and Nd isotopes tracing water mass mixing and particle-seawater interactions in the SE Atlantic

Abstract

Distributions of dissolved and particulate rare earth elements (REEs) and seawater neodymium isotopic composition (εNd) were established in samples from the BONUS GoodHope (BGH) IPY-GEOTRACES cruise in the SE Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (36°S-13°E to 57°S-0°, Feb.–Mar. 2008). Close to the South African continent in the subtropical domain, particulate REEs show the highest concentrations and flat PAAS-normalized patterns, clearly tracing their lithogenic origin. Active cerium oxidation onto suspended particles is evidenced by the mirror-image relationship of the cerium anomaly between dissolved and particulate phases. Unradiogenic dissolved neodymium in surface waters (εNd= -17.1) traces the influence of old sedimentary material brought by the Agulhas current and rings to the Cape Basin area. A mass balance calculation suggests that the release of Nd from dissolution of lithogenic material corresponds to a remobilization of 154×106T of sediment per year, i.e., 5% of the total sediment delivered to the southeast African coast annually. At open ocean stations, both dissolved and particulate REEs present negative cerium anomalies, indicating that particles have acquired a marine signature. The increasing REE concentrations with depth, and the strong linear correlations of dissolved REE with silica, indicate that surface removal and deep re-mineralisation of REEs are partially related to the biogeochemical cycle of silicate, which involves biogenic silica (diatoms). Combined with marine carbonates, these authigenic phases could explain the observed REE patterns in suspended particles, except for La. We suggest that the positive La anomalies in both phases are linked to the oceanic barium cycle and the partial dissolution of barite crystals, especially in the Polar Frontal Zone.The εNd composition behaves conservatively in intermediate and deep waters, while input processes affect the isotopic signal of subtropical surface waters and Weddell Gyre bottom waters. An Indian Ocean and an Atlantic variety of AAIW have been isotopically differentiated (εNd=−9.3±0.3 and εNd=−8.0±0.5, respectively). Homogeneous signatures characterize circumpolar waters (εNd from −8.2 to −8.4 for CDW). A binary mixing model has been used to assess the contribution of undiluted NADW reaching southern latitudes.