title: A large excess of 210Po in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat, in the South China Sea.
abstract: The temporal variability of (210)Po and (210)Pb was examined in the overlying water of the Zhubi Coral Reef flat to detect nutrient-like behavior of (210)Po. Different mechanisms influencing their geochemical behaviors were observed. Excess (210)Po relative to (210)Pb revealed an additional input of (210)Po other than in situ production from (210)Pb. The (210)Po input comes from the reef flat sediment through diffusion. The diffusion contributes 62% of the total (210)Po. This diffusion of (210)Po directly highlights its nutrient-like behavior. No input, but the slight removal, of (210)Pb was observed. Fractionation factors indicate that particulate matter prefers to adsorb (210)Po rather than (210)Pb. In combination with particulate composition, (210)Po diffusion was closely related to organic matter. These results reveal that (210)Po might be a potential tracer for quantifying nutrient recycling in the Coral Reef system.
authors: Department of Oceanography, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors: W F
authors: WF
authors: Yang
authors: Y P
authors: YP
authors: Huang
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Chen
authors: Y S
authors: YS
authors: Qiu
authors: H B
authors: HB
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D057894:Coral Reefs; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011059:Polonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive; D011059:Polonium