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Rhenium in seawater - Confirmation of generally conservative behaviorA depth profile of the concentration of Re was measured in the Pacific Ocean using a technique developed for the clean chemical separation and the precise measurement of Re by isotope dilution and negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-NTIMS). We obtain a narrow range for Re from 7.20 +/- 0.03 to 7.38 +/- 0.03 ng/kg for depths between 45 m and 4700 m. This demonstrates that Re is relatively well mixed throughout the water column and confirms the theoretical prediction that the behavior of Re in the oceans is conservative. When examined in detail, both salinity and the concentration of Re increase by approximately 1.5 percent between 400 and 4700 m, a correlation consistent with conservative behavior. However, Re appears to be depleted relative to salinity by 1.0-1.5 percent at 100 m, and enriched by approximately 4 percent at the surface. These observations suggest a minor level of Re scavenging in near surface waters, and an input of Re to the ocean surface. This work demonstrates the utility of geochemical investigations of certain trace elements not previously been amenable to detailed study.
Document ID
19930032202
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Anbar, A. D.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Creaser, R. A.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Papanastassiou, D. A.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Wasserburg, G. J.
(California Inst. of Technology Pasadena, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Volume: 56
Issue: 11
ISSN: 0016-7037
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
93A16199
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF OCE-88-00329
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-43
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF OCE-90-18534
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF OCE-87-17195
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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