Bismuth-210, its parent, and daughter and their use as particle tracers in aquatic systems

A New Radiotracer for Particulate Carbon Dynamics: Examination of 210Bi‐210Pb in Seawater

“…In our study, the activities of 226 Ra (grandparent of 210 Pb), estimated from the SiO 2 ‐ 226 Ra correlation in the SCS (Nozaki & Yamamoto, 2001), showed lower values than 210 Pb in the water column at ST. At 2S12, 210 Pb was in excess of 226 Ra in the upper 400 m and in deficit below with respect to 226 Ra, implying the dominant atmospheric deposition and 226 Ra‐generation source terms of 210 Pb in the upper and lower mesopelagic water, respectively. Atmospheric deposition also dominates the source of stable Bi in the open surface ocean (Measures et al., 1984; Waples, 2020). The 210 Bi/ 210 Pb ratios at shore Station ATS (Figure 1) showed that rainwater usually had a deficiency of 210 Bi (Table 1), which was consistent with the widely observed deficit of 210 Bi with respect to 210 Pb in the air, due to the short residence timescale of 210 Bi (Moore et al., 1973; Poet et al., 1972).…”

“…Radioactive 210 Bi, benefiting from its short half‐life, has been utilized to constrain the residence time of aerosols since the 1960s/1970s (Fry & Menon, 1962; Poet et al., 1972) and has been proven to be better than longer half‐life nuclides (e.g., 210 Po) (Lozano et al., 2011). In the ocean, it is still a challenge to study the particle dynamics occurring over a timescale of hours to days (Waples, 2022), for example, the typhoon‐associated particle cycle and flood‐induced material input in coastal seas; especially in shallow marine systems due to the lack of effective approaches. Although some long half‐life tracers, for example, 234 Th (Buesseler et al., 1992) and 210 Po (Ceballos‐Romero et al., 2016; Verdeny et al., 2009), have been widely used to constrain particle cycling in the open upper oceans, they are seldom used in shallow seas due to the difficulty in constraining the influence of hydrological processes (Feng et al., 2021).…”

“…Owing to its short half‐life and low activity, 210 Bi has been rarely analyzed in aquatic environments. A few methods have been reported using different protocols and/or instruments (Waples, 2020; Zhong et al., 2020). Only a few seawater samples have been measured in 210 Bi determination research (Tian et al., 2022; Zhong et al., 2020).…”

“…Based on an examination of Bi in snow and ice cores, volcanic emissions are thought to be the main source of Bi in the atmosphere (Candelone et al., 1995), although anthropogenic emissions have been increasing in recent decades (Ferrari et al., 2000). These available studies presented valuable information on the source apportionment of stable Bi; however, very little is known about its actual behavior in aquatic environments (Knight & Turner, 2020; Waples, 2020, 2022).…”

“…Based on an examination of Bi in snow and ice cores, volcanic emissions are thought to be the main source of Bi in the atmosphere (Candelone et al, 1995), although anthropogenic emissions have been increasing in recent decades (Ferrari et al, 2000). These available studies presented valuable information on the source apportionment of stable Bi; however, very little is known about its actual behavior in aquatic environments (Knight & Turner, 2020;Waples, 2020Waples, , 2022.Radioactive 210 Bi, benefiting from its short half-life, has been utilized to constrain the residence time of aerosols since the 1960s/1970s (Fry & Menon, 1962;Poet et al, 1972) and has been proven to be better than longer half-life nuclides (e.g., 210 Po) (Lozano et al, 2011). In the ocean, it is still a challenge to study the particle dynamics occurring over a timescale of hours to days (Waples, 2022), for example, the typhoon-associated particle cycle and flood-induced material input in coastal seas; especially in shallow marine systems due to the lack of effective approaches.…”