Lead isotope exchange between dissolved and fluvial particulate matter: a laboratory study from the Johor River estuary
Name
2016-0boyle 303 Isotope exchange of Pb by riverine input of particulate matter submitted.pdf
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1.46 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Chen, Mengli
Boyle, Edward A.
Nurhati, Intan
Zurbrick, Cheryl
Switzer, Adam D.
Carrasco, Gonzalo
Lee, Jong-Mi, Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date Issued
November 2016
Journal
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Citation
Chen, Mengli, Edward A. Boyle, Jong-Mi Lee, Intan Nurhati, Cheryl Zurbrick, Adam D. Switzer, and Gonzalo Carrasco. “Lead Isotope Exchange Between Dissolved and Fluvial Particulate Matter: a Laboratory Study from the Johor River Estuary.” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 374, no. 2081 (October 17, 2016): 20160054.
Version
Original manuscript
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols are the dominant source of Pb to the modern marine environment, and as a result, in most regions of the ocean the Pb isotopic composition of dissolved Pb in the surface ocean (and in corals) matches that of the regional aerosols. In the Singapore Strait, however, there is a large offset between seawater dissolved and coral Pb isotopes and that of the regional aerosols. We propose that this difference results from isotope exchange between dissolved Pb supplied by anthropogenic aerosol deposition and adsorbed natural crustal Pb on weathered particles delivered to the ocean by coastal rivers. To investigate this issue, Pb isotope exchange was assessed through a closed-system exchange experiment using estuarine waters collected at the Johor River mouth (which discharges to the Singapore Strait). During the experiment, a known amount of dissolved Pb with the isotopic composition of NBS-981 ([superscript 206]Pb/[superscript 207]Pb = 1.093) was spiked into the unfiltered Johor water (dissolved and particulate [superscript 206]Pb/[superscript 207]Pb = 1.199) and the changing isotopic composition of the dissolved Pb was monitored. The mixing ratio of the estuarine and spike Pb should have produced a dissolved [superscript 206]Pb/[superscript 207]Pb isotopic composition of 1.161, but within a week, the [superscript 206]Pb/[superscript 207]Pb in the water increased to 1.190 and continued to increase to 1.197 during the next two months without significant changes of the dissolved Pb concentration. The kinetics of isotope exchange was assessed using a simple Kd model, which assumes multiple sub-reservoirs within the particulate matter with different exchange rate constants. The Kd model reproduced 56% of the observed Pb isotope variance. Both the closed-system experiment and field measurements imply that isotope exchange can be an important mechanism for controlling Pb and Pb isotopes in coastal waters. A similar process may occur for other trace elements.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2016.0054
