Seasonal trends in the uranium-series istopic signatures of lake waters and sediments: Hawes Water, north-west England

Abstract

Potential seasonal variation in the U-series radioisotopic signatures of lake and input waters was investigated in Hawes Water, north-west England, and the sedimentary record was examined to establish whether any observed seasonality is preserved in the sediment U and Th radioisotopic activity ratios. U-series disequilibrium in the waters is indicative of both surface and shallow sub-surface origins for the dissolved U, and that this supply is influenced by changes in the prevailing hydrological regime. However, the lake is buffered from this seasonality in that the 234U/238U activity ratio remains constant during the year, and the U content undergoes only a marginal decrease during summer. The change in the mechanism of lake sedimentation from allochthonous organic input during winter to autochthonous carbonate formation during summer has a more significant influence on the U-series radioisotopic characteristics of sedimentary record in that the proportion of organic and carbonate material both exhibit a strong control on the234U/238U activity ratio and U content. In addition, significant proportions of ‘sediment’ U and Th are associated with ferromanganese oxyhydroxides. Given this seasonality, it is of some significance that the 234U/238U activity ratios of the bottom sediments preserve a reasonable record of lake U-series disequilibrium and are, therefore, potential indicators of long-term changes in catchment hydrology.