Evaluation of salt marsh hydrology using radium as a tracer

Journal Article · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(93)90562-B· OSTI ID:6085040

Bollinger, M S ^[1]; Moore, W S ^[2]

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1. Winthrop Univ., Rock Hill, SC (United States)
2. Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia (United States)

Radium isotopes provide unique and important information concerning water exchange in a salt marsh-tidal creek system. Seasonal radium data collected over five tidal cycles from a creek draining a South Carolina salt marsh, radium and thorium data from the adjacent marsh sediments, and interstitial water radium data from the drainage basin are modeled to yield residence times of water in the upper 10 cm of the marsh sediments ranging from less than one to twenty-six hours. Water residence times derived from chambers which directly measure the flux of Ra isotopes to the creek waters agree well with these calculated interstitial water turnover times. Dissolved radium activities in the tidal creek were greater during the summer than during other times of the year. The authors suspect that seasonal changes in the storage of organic carbon and rates of bioturbation lead to net reduction of radium carrier phases in the marsh sediments during the summer. 18 refs., 4 figs., 7 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6085040
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States), Journal Name: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (United States) Vol. 57:10; ISSN GCACAK; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540311* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- Radiometric Techniques-- (1990-)
ACTINIDES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROLOGY
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MARSHES
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM 224
RADIUM 226
RADIUM 228
RADIUM ISOTOPES
SOUTH CAROLINA
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
THORIUM
TRACER TECHNIQUES
USA
WETLANDS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES