Isotopic equilibration between dissolved and suspended particulate lead in the Atlantic Ocean: Evidence from 210Pb and stable Pb isotopes (original) (raw)
1992, Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Decreased consumption of leaded gasoline in the United States over the past two decades has drastically altered the flux and isotopic composition of Pb entering the western North Atlantic from the atmosphere. Here we exploit the resulting temporal changes in the distribution and isotopic composition of oceanic Pb to investigate interactions between dissolved and particulate Pb in the oceanic water column. Measurements of dissolved Pb isotopic composition on samples collected in 1987 in the upper water column near Bermuda demonstrate that surface water 206Pb/207Pb decreased from ∼1.203 to ∼1.192 since 1983 and that a measurable change propagated to 300–500 m since the 1984 profile of Shen and Boyle (1988). The first accurate measurements of suspended particulate Pb in an open ocean profile show concentrations of 1–3 pmol/L, equal to 2–4% of total Pb. Vertical profiles of (1) the stable lead isotopic composition and (2) the ratio of total Pb to 210Pb in suspended particles closely tra...
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