The influence of secondary weathering processes on dissolved nickel isotope compositions under cold climatic conditions – Observations from the Mackenzie Basin ...

• Main Authors: Charbonnier, Quentin, Rickli, Jörg, Archer, Corey, Vance, Derek
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2024
• Subjects: Canada; Skeena; Mackenzie Basin
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000644121; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/644121

Nickel (Ni) and its stable isotope signature (δ60Ni) have recently gained momentum as a tracer of nutrient cycling in the modern and past oceans. A robust understanding of Ni isotope cycling in the ocean rests on an accurate understanding of the Ni sources and sinks to and from the oceans. In particular, rivers, which are the dominant Ni source to the oceans, show significant variation in Ni isotopes compared to rocks, thought to reflect variable extents of formation of secondary phases that scavenge light Ni isotopes. The current estimate of the global isotope composition of riverine Ni is based on a few large rivers in warm climates, thus preventing the assessment of a potential climatic control on the Ni isotope flux to the ocean. In this contribution, we investigate the Ni elemental and isotope signatures of river catchments in cold climates, namely the Mackenzie Basin tributaries (Canada) and two rivers, the Nass and Skeena, draining the Western Cordillera. The river solid load in the Mackenzie Basin ... : Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 364 ...