Submarine groundwater discharge at Forsmark, Gulf of Bothnia, providedby Ra isotopes Show others and affiliations
2017 (English) In: Marine Chemistry, ISSN 0304-4203, E-ISSN 1872-7581, Vol. 196, p. 162-172Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea, has been believed to be insignificant from hydrological models, yet geochemical investigations of SGD in this basin are limited. In this study, 223 Ra, 224 Ra, 226 Ra, and 228 Ra have been complemented by stable δ18 O and d2 H isotopes to characterize and quantify SGD rates from the coast of Forsmark, Sweden to Öregrundsgrepen Strait (Gulf of Bothnia). In shallow bays, SGD has been traced using relations between Ra, d2 H and d18 O isotopes and salinity. Zonal SGD from deformation zones, expressed as hydraulically conductive fractures, overlain by the Börstilåsen esker, a strip of conductive gravel sediment, have been traced through offshore 224 Raxs and 226 Ra trends. On the basis of a 224 Raxs mass balance, the SGD flow rate ranges from (5.5 ± 3.0) · 103 m3 d-1 to (950 ± 520) · 103 m3 d-1 . These rates are up to two orders of magnitude higher than those determined from local hydrological models, which consider only the fresh component of SGD. From the divergence between the hydrological and 224 Raxs models, it is inferred that the site is influenced by a component of recirculated seawater.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2017. Vol. 196, p. 162-172
Keywords [en]
Submarine groundwater, Ra isotopes, Forsmark, Baltic Sea
National Category
Geochemistry
Research subject The changing Earth
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-2498 DOI: 10.1016/j.marchem.2017.09.003 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:nrm-2498 DiVA, id: diva2:1154888
Funder EU, FP7, Seventh Framework Programme, 748896 2017-11-062017-11-062025-09-12 Bibliographically approved