Tracking particle-associated processes in nearshore environments by use of 234Th/ 238U disequilibrium

Abstract

Measurement of excess 234Th ( t 1/2 = 24.1 days) in surface sediment from 12 stations throughout Long Island Sound, U.S.A., demonstrates: (1) a mean (summer) sediment inventory of 3.6 dpm/cm 2 consistent with complete, nearly instantaneous removal of 234Th from the overlying water and capture within the estuary, and (2) preferential association of excess 234Th with small particles and inventory build-ups in muddy bottom areas. There may also be a tendency for higher inventories in areas of high physical or biogenic reworking of surface sediments. A range of particle reworking rates (0–5 cm) from <0.01 × 10 −6 to 1.6 × 10 −6 cm 2/s is found in the Sound with most values ∼0.2−0.5 × 10 −6 cm 2/s. The inventory and reworking patterns demonstrate the high mobility, both horizontal and vertical, of particles in the estuary on 234Th decay time scales and are unequivocal evidence for control of reactive element distribution in the water column by the muddy regions of the basin.