Anomalous levels of 90 Sr and 239,240 Pu in Florida corals: Evidence of coastal processes

Details Anomalous levels of 90 Sr and 239,240 Pu in Florida corals: Evidence of coastal processes Anomalous levels of 90 Sr and 239,240 Pu in Florida corals: Evidence of coastal processes

Jun 1989

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989gecoa..53.1401p&link_type=abstract

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 53, Issue 6, pp.1401-1410

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Scientific paper

Strontium-90, a radionuclide whose primary source is fallout from nuclear weapons testing, serves as a tritium-like tracer of ocean circulation. The historical record of 90 Sr activities in the annual bands of island corals have been shown by other investigators to reflect the 90 Sr concentration in surface waters at those site. Strontium-90 activities measured in annual bands in Montastrea annularis from the Florida Keys are 30-120% higher than those in corresponding peak activity years (1960-1965) of a Bermuda coral ( Diploria ). The Bermuda 90 Sr activity record reflects the fallout source only, whereas the additional 90 Sr activity in the Florida Keys is expected to reflect a coastal runoff source as well as the fallout. The coastal circulation patterns off the northern and western edge of the Florida Current further act to concentrate and prolong the exposure of the runoff 90 Sr to the corals. Six measured 239,240 Pu activities in the Florida coral are 30% of 239,240 Pu activities in island coral records previously reported. Since Pu is expected to be scavenged by particles in coastal waters, this decrease in 239,240 Pu substantiates the importance of coastal influences in the Florida 90 Sr record. Strontium-90 activities measured in subannual coral bands from 1973 to 1974 reflect seasonal changes in the 90 Sr concentrations in the surface layer of the coastal waters. This may reflect Loop Current intrusion events. The seasonal and long-term coral 90 Sr data presented in this paper suggests that coastal 90 Sr coral time series may be very useful for documenting coastal circulation patterns.

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