Osmium in the rivers

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(97)00329-3· OSTI ID:576335

Sharma, M ^[1]; Wasserburg, G J ^[1]

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1. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA (United States)

There is a large uncertainty in our understanding of the behavior of osmium during weathering and transport into deep oceans and the osmium budget of the oceans. The problem stems chiefly from the lack of osmium data on the dissolved load in the rivers and in the estuaries. In this study, the concentration and isotopic composition of osmium have been determined in three North American rivers (the Mississippi, the Columbia, and the Connecticut) and one river draining central Europe and flowing into the Baltic Sea (the Vistula). Osmium concentration in the Mississippi and the Vistula is about 45 femto mol kg{sup -1}; it is about 14 and 15 femto mol kg{sup -1} for the Connecticut and the Columbia, respectively. The {sup 187}Os/{sup 186}Os ratios estimated for the Mississippi and the Vistula are 10.4 and 10.7, respectively. For the Connecticut and the Columbia {sup 187}Os/{sup 186}Os = 8.8 and 14.4, respectively. Of all the rivers examined, the Mississippi is by far the largest, supplying {approximately}1.6% of the total annual world river flow. Its osmium isotopic composition is identical to the upper Mississippi valley loesses indicating (1) congruent dissolution of the bedrock and (2) little or no impact of anthropogenic sources on the osmium isotopic composition of the dissolved load. The latter observation indicates that the upper limit of the anthropogenic input in the dissolved osmium load of the Mississippi outflow is about 250 g yr{sup -1}. While the osmium concentration of the Vistula is high the isotopic composition does not appear to have been affected by substantial pollution. The river data can be used to put limits on the mean residence time of osmium in the oceans ({bar {tau}}{sub Os}) and on the osmium budget of the oceans. 17 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

• DOE Contract Number: FG03-88ER13851
• OSTI ID: 576335
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Journal Issue: 24 Vol. 61; ISSN GCACAK; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTUARIES
ISOTOPE RATIO
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
OSMIUM
RIVERS
SEAWATER
STATISTICAL DATA
WEATHERING