210Pb and 230Th in settling particles in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean: Particle flux and scavenging

A mooring of three conical time-series sediment traps was deployed at two sites in the western Northwest Pacific Ocean for 9 months. Total mass fluxes and activities of 210Pb and 230Th were determined for the settling particles to elucidate their scavenging and transport processes. Sediment samples also were analyzed for 210Pb activities. Total mass fluxes, 210Pb fluxes and 230Th fluxes showed large seasonal variations and their weighted mean fluxes tended to increase with depth, with an especially large increase near-bottom. The ratios of the observed 210Pb fluxes to the 210Pb deficiency fluxes in the upper traps at the two sites were only 0.02 and 0.12, and were attributable to advective export of 210Pb from the surface waters. Those ratios in the near-bottom traps ranged between 1.22 and 2.63. This suggests that these high ratios are due to effective particle scavenging, large lateral 210Pb import and input of resuspended particles that have not become incorporated into the sediments. The mean total 230Th fluxes at the near-bottom traps were 4.2-6.7 times higher than that expected from production in the overlying water column. The 210Pb activities in the surficial sediments were much lower than those in the near-bottom traps. The 210Pb accumulation rates estimated from the excess 210Pb inventory in the sediment column were 40-70% higher than the mean 210Pb fluxes at the near-bottom traps. The ratios of the 210Pb accumulation rates to the 210Pb deficiency fluxes at the near-bottom traps ranged between 2.0 and 3.7. The high fluxes of particulate 210Pb and 230Th at the near-bottom traps reflected a combination of enhanced scavenging of dissolved nuclides and the lateral redistribution of particulate matter by downslope and alongshore transports. However, it was not possible to discriminate among the various processes contributing to high nuclide fluxes.