Validating the Use of Radiotracers as Analogs of Stable Metal Behaviour in Enclosed Aquatic Ecosystem Experiments

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (S1) ◽  
pp. s251-s259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Anderson ◽  
Peter H. Santschi ◽  
Urs P. Nyffeler ◽  
Sherry L. Schiff

Radiotracer experiments were carried out in enclosures in two lakes at the Experimental Lakes Area, North-western Ontario, to study the pathways of trace metal removal from the shallow water columns to the sediments of these lakes. As part of the larger experiment, stable carriers of Fe, Mn, and Zn were added individually to each of three enclosures. Rates of removal to sediments at pH 6.3 and backdiffusion after HCl addition to pH 4.8 of radiotracer 59Fe, 54Mn, and 65Zn were compared to the respective rates of their stable counterparts. Tracer removal and backdiffusion rates in enclosures which received stable carrier additions were further compared with the tracer behaviour in enclosures which received no carrier additions. Radiotracers and stable carriers were removed from the water column at similar rates at pH 6.3, and were remobilized at similar rates from the sediments when the pH of the water column was lowered to 4.8. The presence of the added stable carriers had no effect on the removal or remobilization of Mn or Zn. However, the removal of 59Fe from the water column was slowed slightly by the addition of Fe(III) carrier compared to removal in the other tubes, possibly due to the formation of colloidal phases. These results show that information on the rates of trace metal transport obtained using radiotracers is applicable to stable metal behavior in these freshwater systems. The use of radiotracers to study trace metal geochemistry under natural conditions is preferred to the addition of stable metals which may alter the physical and chemical properties of the suspended particulate matter as occurred after the addition of stable iron. Speciation studies showed that adsorption to ion exchange resins does not provide a reliable indication of the ionic form of metals in lake water.

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Zhigang Zeng ◽  
Xiaoyuan Wang ◽  
Bramley J. Murton ◽  
Haiyan Qi ◽  
Berit Lehrmann ◽  
...  

The composition of hydrothermal plumes reflects the physical and chemical characteristics of seafloor hydrothermal fluids, which in turn reflects the host rock and subseafloor reaction conditions as well as the water column processes that act to alter the plumes as they disperse and age. Here, we show that the turbidity, current, pH value, dissolved Fe (dFe), and dissolved Mn (dMn) compositions of hydrothermal plumes can be used to understand the spatial distribution and source of hydrothermal systems in the submarine geological environment. Data were obtained from 18 hydrocast stations, among which the water column samples were collected at 8 stations during the MANUS cruise of R/V KEXUE in 2015. The results showed that the Satanic Mills plume and Fenway plume rose approximately 140 m and 220 m above the seafloor, respectively. In the Satanic Mills plume, dFe remained longer than dMn during lateral plume dispersal. There was a clear intersection of the Satanic Mills plume and Fenway plume between 1625 m and 1550 m in the PACMANUS hydrothermal field, and the varied dispersion trends of the mixed plumes were affected by current velocities at different depths. The physical and chemical properties of the seawater columns in the Manus Basin were affected by the input of high-Mn, high-Fe, and low-Mg vent fluids. The turbidity and dFe, dMn, and dissolved Mg concentrations in the sections of the plumes proximal to the Satanic Mills, Fenway, and Desmos vent sites were generally higher (turbidity, Mn, and Fe) and lower (Mg) than those in the sections of the plumes that were more distal from the vent sites. This implied that the plumes proximal to their vent fluid sources, which were interpreted to have relatively young ages, dispersed chemically over time, and their concentrations became more similar to those of the plumes that were more distal from their vent fluid sources.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika dos Santos Silva ◽  
Odete Rocha ◽  
Maria José dos Santos-Wisniewski

Abstract Aim This study seeks to analyze the vertical migration pattern of Cladocera species as related with the physical and chemical parameters of the water. Methods Samplings were carried out at 3-h intervals for 24 h in January 15 on the Sapucaí River compartment of Furnas reservoir, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. These samples were taken at five depths, from the surface to the near-bottom layer (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9 m) totalizing 54 samplings for each limnological variable (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, chlorophyll-a content, Index of Trophic State, water transparency and Cladocera populations abundance). The samplings were performed at the limnetic region at a point with total depth of 9 meters. Results Water column thermal and chemical stratifications and thermocline occurrences were registered in the middle of the day. Among the 14 Cladocera species, only Ceriodaphnia cornuta and C. silvestrii displayed a significant migration pattern, which was mainly related to chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen concentrations. Diaphanosoma birgei and D. spinulosum are found at high densities near the surface and low ones in depth. The migration of Diaphanosoma was directly related to the concentration of chlorophyll a and pH, thus acting as a limiting factor. Feeding at high temperatures in the surface layer and assimilating at lower ones in depth, usually confer metabolic advantages to the vertically migratory species. Conclusions In this study, a well-defined pattern of vertical migration was found for two Cladocera species and its possible causes were hypothesized. To the species with less locomotory capacity, thermal and chemical stratifications can act as barriers to migration and distribution through the water column. This pattern may probably be found for zooplankton species in other compartments of Furnas reservoir, with similar physical and chemical properties.


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