Etude du comportement des particules dans la colonne d'eau méditerranéenne avec l'utilisation des traceurs géochimiques et la modélisation (application au site DYFAMED)

TOULOUSE3-BU Sciences (315552104) / SudocSudocFranceF

The behavior of Al, Mn, Ba, Sr, REE and Th isotopes during in vitro degradation of large marine particles

International audienceThe extent and the time constant of dissolution of a set of inorganic tracers during the decomposition of large marine particles an estimated through in vitro experiments. Large marine particles were collected with in situ pumps at 30 m and 200 m in the Ligurian Sea at the end of summer. They were subsequently incubated under laboratory conditions with their own bacterial assemblage for 20 days in batches under oxic conditions in the dark. Some samples were initially sterilized in order to observe possible differences between biotic and abiotic samples. Particulate (> 0.2 mum) and dissolved(m) concentrations of Al, Sr, Ba, Mn, Rare Earth Elements (REE) and Th isotopes were determined over time. We obtain percentages of dissolution in agreement with the general knowledge about the solubility of these tracers: Th approximate to Al < Heavy REE < Light REE < Mn < Ba < Sr. For Mn and Ce, precipitation/adsorption occurs at the end of the experiment probably due to their oxidation as insoluble oxides. Particulate residence time of the tracers ranged from less than 1 day to 10-14 days. During the experiment, biological activity has a control on the dissolution process through the remineralization of particulate organic carbon, In the 30 m experiment, the observed dissolution of aragonite indicates that the pH of the incubation solution significantly decreases in response to the CO2 respiration. Speciation calculations suggest that this pH shift leads to a decrease of the complexation of dissolved REE by carbonate ions. Th isotope data are consistent with an irreversible dissolution of Th and they do not support a rapid particle-solution chemical equilibrium. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Quantifying lithogenic inputs to the North Pacific ocean using the long-lived thorium isotopes

Dissolved 232Th is added to the ocean though the partial dissolution of lithogenic materials such as aerosol dust in the same way as other lithogenically sourced and more biologically important trace metals such as Fe. Oceanic 230Th, on the other hand, is sourced primarily from the highly predictable decay of dissolved 234U. The rate at which dissolved 232Th is released by mineral dissolution can be constrained by a Th removal rate derived from 230Th:234U disequilibria, assuming steady-state. Calculated fluxes of dissolved 232Th can in turn be used to estimate fluxes of other lithogenically sourced dissolved metals as well as the original lithogenic supplies, such as aerosol dust deposition, given the concentration and fractional solubility of Th (or other metals) in the lithogenic material. This method is applied to 7 water column profiles from the Innovative North Pacific Experiment (INOPEX) cruise of 2009 and 2 sites from the subtropical North Pacific. The structure of shallow depth profiles suggests rapid scavenging at the surface and at least partial regeneration of dissolved 232Th at 100–200 m depth. This rapid cycling could involve colloidal Th generated during mineral dissolution, which may not be subject to the same removal rates as the more truly dissolved 230Th. An additional deep source of 232Th was revealed in deep waters, most likely dissolution of seafloor sediments, and offers a constraint on dissolved trace element supply due to boundary exchange