Growth rate of a deep-sea coral using sup 210 Pb and other isotopes

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(90)90174-J· OSTI ID:6142145

Druffel, E R.M.; King, L I; Belastock, R A; Buesseler, K O ^[1]

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1. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, MA (USA)

A deep-sea coral was studied to determine its growth rate and to reconstruct time histories of isotope distributions in the deep ocean. The specimen was collected at a depth of 600 m off Little Bahama Banks using the Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) Alvin. The growth rate of the calcitic coral trunk was determined using excess {sup 210}Pb measured in concentric bands. Excess {sup 210}Pb was found in the outer half of the coral's radius, and a growth rate of 0.11 {plus minus} 0.02 mm/a is calculated. Assuming a constant growth rate during formation of the entire trunk, an age of 180 {plus minus} 40 a is estimated for the coral. The decrease observed in radiocarbon activities measured on the same bands (Griffin and Druffel, 1989) concurred with the growth rate estimated from excess {sup 210}Pb activity. {sup 239,240}Pu activities measured by mass spectrometry were also detected in the outer two bands of the coral, as expected from the {sup 210}Pb chronology. Stable oxygen and carbon isotopes measured in samples collected by a variety of techniques are positively correlated. This is evidence of a variable kinetic isotope effect most likely caused by variations in the skeletal growth rate. Long-lived corals such as this specimen have the potential for serving as integrators of seawater chemistry in the deep-sea over several century timescales.

• OSTI ID: 6142145
• Journal Information: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta; (USA), Vol. 54:5; ISSN 0016-7037
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
CORALS
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
GROWTH
ISOTOPE DATING
SEAWATER
WATER CHEMISTRY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
ISOTOPE RATIO
LEAD 210
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
TRACER TECHNIQUES
AGE ESTIMATION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMISTRY
CNIDARIA
COELENTERATA
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOCHEMISTRY
HEAVY NUCLEI
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LEAD ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
SPECTROSCOPY
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
580000* - Geosciences