A review of present techniques and methodological advances in analyzing Th-234 in aquatic systems

The short-lived thorium isotope Th-234 (half-life 24.1 days) has been used as a tracer for a variety of transport processes in aquatic systems. Its use as a tracer of oceanic export via sinking particles has stimulated a rapidly increasing number of studies that require analyses of Th-234 in both ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Chemistry
Main Authors: Van der Loeff, MR, Sarin, MM, Baskaran, M, Benitez-Nelson, C, Buesseler, KO, Charette, M, Dai, M, Gustafsson, O, Masque, P, Morris, PJ, Orlandini, K, Baena, ARY, Savoye, N, Schmidt, S, Turnewitsch, R, Voge, No Value, Waples, JT
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2006
Subjects:
PARTICLE RESIDENCE TIMES
export
ARCTIC-OCEAN
SCAVENGING RATES
Th-234
ATLANTIC-OCEAN
SERIES NUCLIDES
THORIUM ISOTOPES
GULF-OF-MEXICO
methodology
ANTHROPOGENIC RADIONUCLIDE DISTRIBUTIONS
sampling
analytical techniques
ARABIAN SEA
PARTICULATE ORGANIC-CARBON
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1983/58d71e72-4cec-4619-8dac-9f4999e3c6e4
https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/58d71e72-4cec-4619-8dac-9f4999e3c6e4
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2005.10.012
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Summary:The short-lived thorium isotope Th-234 (half-life 24.1 days) has been used as a tracer for a variety of transport processes in aquatic systems. Its use as a tracer of oceanic export via sinking particles has stimulated a rapidly increasing number of studies that require analyses of Th-234 in both marine and freshwater systems. The original Th-234 method is labor intensive. Thus, there has been a quest for simpler techniques that require smaller sample volumes. Here, we review current methodologies in the collection and analysis of Th-234 from the water column, discuss their individual strengths and weaknesses, and provide an outlook on possible further improvements and future challenges. Also included in this review are recommendations on calibration procedures and the production of standard reference materials as well as a flow chart designed to help researchers find the most appropriate Th-234 analytical technique for a specific aquatic regime and known sampling constraints. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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