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

Type Article
Date 2001-01
Language English
Author(s) Arraes-Mescoff R1, Roy-Barman M1, Coppola L1, Souhaut M1, Tachikawa K1, Jeandel C1, Sempere R2, Yoro C2
Affiliation(s) 1 : LEGOS/UMR 5566, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
2 : LMM, CNRS/INSU, Campus de Luminy, F13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France
Source Marine Chemistry (0304-4203) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2001-01 , Vol. 73 , N. 1 , P. 1-19
DOI 10.1016/S0304-4203(00)00065-7
WOS© Times Cited 50
Keyword(s) marine particles, dissolution, trace elements, thorium isotopes, western Mediterranean Sea
Abstract The 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(< 0.2 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.
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