RESIDENCE TIMES OF TH-234 AND BE-7 IN LAKE GENEVA Academic Article

abstract

• The activities of two short-lived natural radionuclides, 234Th and 7Be, were measured in Lake Geneva water, suspended solids and sediments, in order to obtain their removal residence times in the lake. Four independent methods of estimation are presented and compared. The calcuated residence times of 234Th and 7Be vary from 60 to 280 days and from 60 to 1100 days, respectively, depending on season and the method used. In general, 7Be residence times are significantly longer than those of 234Th. For both nuclides the removal residence times are significantly longer than their respective radioactive mean-lives. As a consequence, the estimates based on their water column inventories are not as reliable as the estimates obtained from the measured fluxes of these nuclides into sediment traps. Estimates based on the bottom sediment inventories are similar in magnitude to those obtained from flux into sediment traps, but occasionally are erroneous because of small-scale sediment heterogeneity. 1989.

authors

• Santschi, Peter

published proceedings

• EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS

author list (cited authors)

• DOMINIK, J., SCHULER, C., & SANTSCHI, P. H.

citation count

• 41

publication date

• July 1989

publisher

• Elsevier  Publisher

keywords

• 37 Earth Sciences
• 3709 Physical Geography And Environmental Geoscience

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1016/0012-821X(89)90034-4

start page

• 345

end page

• 358

volume

• 93

issue

• 3-4

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0012-821x(89)90034-4