Trace elements and radionuclides in the Connecticut River and Amazon River estuary
The Connecticut River, its estuary, and the Amazon River estuary were studied to elucidate some of the processes which control river water chemistry and the flux of elements to the sea. The approach taken was to identify inputs to the Connecticut River and to investigate geochemical processes which modify the dissolved load. The form and quantity of nuclides which are in turn supplied to the estuary are altered by processes unique to that transition zone to the ocean. The Connecticut River estuary was sampled on a seasonal basis to investigate the role of the estuary in controlling the flux of elements to the sea. The knowledge gained from the Connecticut River study was applied to the quantitatively more significant Amazon River estuary. There a variety of samples were analyzed to understand the processes controlling the single greatest flux of elements to the Atlantic Ocean. The results indicate that estimates of the total flux of nuclides to the oceans can best be calculated based on groundwater inputs. Unless significant repositories for nuclides exist in the river-estuarine system, the groundwater flux of dissolved nuclides is that which will eventually be delivered to the ocean despite the reactions which were shown to occur in both rivers and estuaries. 153 references, 63 figures, 28 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76EV13573
- OSTI ID:
- 5577192
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EV/13573-T2; ON: DE84003668
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ACID CARBONATES
ALKALI METALS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AMAZON RIVER
BARIUM
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
CALCIUM
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMISTRY
CHLORINE
CONNECTICUT RIVER
COPPER
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTUARIES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GEOCHEMISTRY
GROUND WATER
HALOGENS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
IONS
ISOTOPES
MAGNESIUM
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIUM
RIVERS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SODIUM
SOLUTES
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TRACE AMOUNTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WATER