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Turbulent mixing in the hypolimnion of Baldeggersee (Switzerland) traced by natural radon-222

Journal Article · · Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States)
;
Three analytical diffusion models are used to describe the distribution of a nonconservative tracer in the hypolimnion of a lake: the one-dimensional vertical (1-DV) model, developed for tracers in the deep sea, leads to a significant overestimation of vertical diffusivity K/sub z/ in lakes; the one-dimensional topographic vertical (1-DTV) model, applicable if horizontal mixing is fast compared to in situ decay, demonstrates that, except for the deepest layers, vertical tracer distributions are insensitive to K/sub z/; the one-dimensional topographic horizontal (1-DTH) model, in which horizontal mixing is incomplete and vertical diffusion is disregarded, is the appropriate model for the interpretation of vertical excess /sup 222/Rn profiles a few meters above the lake bottom. The radon flux F from the bottom is calculated from /sup 226/Ra in the sediments and corrected for depth variation of porosity and radium activity. Horizontal diffusivity in the hypolimnion decreases from June to October; vertical diffusivity is roughly 10 times larger than values calculated from temperature in the upper hypolimnion. The large K/sub z/ and the transient, often irregular shape of the radon profiles are the result of horizontal bottom currents previously measured by other methods.
Research Organization:
Swiss Federal Inst. of Tech., Duebendorf
OSTI ID:
6138322
Journal Information:
Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States), Journal Name: Limnol. Oceanogr.; (United States) Vol. 29:4; ISSN LIOCA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

520101* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- Radiometric Techniques-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COASTAL WATERS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
EUROPE
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LAKES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MIXING
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
SEDIMENTS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SURFACE WATERS
SWITZERLAND
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TURBULENCE
WESTERN EUROPE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES