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Fallout Pu in Annual Bands from the Coral Montastrea annularis, St. Croix, USVI
EOS, Transactions American Geophysical Union Vol 64(52)
  • Larry K. Benninger, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Richard E. Dodge, Nova Southeastern University
Event Name/Location
Ocean Sciences Meeting
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1-1-1983
Abstract
Coralline aragonite is known to incorporate certain minor or trace constituents from seawater (U, Sr, Ra, 210Pb) with essentially constant discrimination relative to Ca. Noshkin and others [Limnol. Oceanogr. 20(1975)729] reported that Pu was also incorporated with constant discrimination and suggested the use of annual bands in corals as a recording indicator of ambient seawater Pu. We report preliminary results of a study of fallout Pu in annual bands of Montastrea annularis from St. Croix, U.S.V.I. Along with fallout Pu we have determined: U, 232Th, 228Ra (as 228Th) and 210Pb (as 210Po). These determinations are used to test for constancy of element/Ca discrimination (U, 228Ra, 210Pb), to confirm the band-count chronology (228Ra, 210Pb), and as potential indicators of detrital contamination (232Th, 210Pb). Our results to date show fallout 239,240Pu in annual bands at concentrations of 90Sr deposition with a time lag of about one year; two peaks are resolved, in coral years 1959 and 1964. hence it appears that most of the available (to aragonite) Pu is rapidly removed from surface seawater. Further work is planned to elucidate the mechanism of Pu incorporation into coralline aragonite.
Comments

Abstract ONLY

51A-12 1053H

Publisher
American Geophysical Union
DOI
10.1029/EO064i052p01017
Citation Information
Larry K. Benninger and Richard E. Dodge. "Fallout Pu in Annual Bands from the Coral Montastrea annularis, St. Croix, USVI" EOS, Transactions American Geophysical Union Vol 64(52) (1983) p. 1031 - 1031 ISSN: 0096-3941
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/richard-dodge/173/