Seasonal distribution and flux of radium isotopes on the southeastern U.S. continental shelf

Abstract

Enrichments of radium isotopes in coastal waters have served as indicators of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD). Because coastal waters exchange with the open ocean on a timescale of weeks to months, seasonal patterns of radium isotope distributions may be used to indicate changes in SGD through the year. Here I report the seasonal distributions of four naturally occurring radium isotopes measured throughout the water column of the southeastern U.S. continental shelf, commonly known as the South Atlantic Bight (SAB). The study area extended from Onslow Bay, North Carolina, to Crescent Beach, Florida. Activities of the long-lived isotopes were highest off the coast of Georgia. In the summer, high activities extended throughout the study area, but during spring and winter, they decreased markedly off the coast of SC. The primary source of excess 226Ra and 228Ra (that is activities in excess of open ocean values) is shown to be SGD. Because the activities of these isotopes in SGD differ little with season, the lower excess activities off South Carolina imply lower rates of SGD during the spring and winter. The excess inventories and fluxes of 226Ra and 228Ra provide an estimate of the residence time of water on the shelf. These residence times range from 30 to 60 days with a mean of about 40 days. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.