Uranium behavior in a permanently anoxic Fjord: Microbial control

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Limnology and Oceanography; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1993.38.2.0408· OSTI ID:6178720

McKee, B A ^[1]; Todd, J F ^[2]

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1. Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Cocodrie (United States)
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD (United States)

Uranium contamination of groundwaters resulting from U mining activities and the leakage of nuclear waste from storage facilities is a growing concern. In Framvern Fjord (southern Norway), dissolved [sup 238]U concentrations at the bacterial maximum layer (24 m), which is situated a few meters below the oxic-anoxic (i.e. oxygen-hydrogen sulfide) interface (18 m), are observed to be [approximately]60% lower than concentrations above and below this depth. Removal of U occurs well below the depth at which Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides are precipitated and under conditions inconsistent with abiological reduction of soluble U(VI) to particle-reactive U(IV). Our observations suggest that the microbial population in the anoxic waters near the O[sub 2]-H[sub 2]S interface in the fjord exerts an effective control on the aquatic biogeochemistry of U in this environment. 27 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

• OSTI ID: 6178720
• Journal Information: Limnology and Oceanography; (United States), Vol. 38:2; ISSN 0024-3590
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
FIORDS
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
URANIUM 238
BIODEGRADATION
REMOVAL
ANOXIA
BACTERIA
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
NORWAY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
URANIUM MINES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DECOMPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ESTUARIES
EUROPE
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOCHEMISTRY
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MICROORGANISMS
MINES
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
SCANDINAVIA
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
STORAGE
SURFACE WATERS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WESTERN EUROPE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
550700* - Microbiology
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing