Derivation of a grain size proxy to aid the modelling and prediction of radionuclide activity in saltmarshes and mudflats of the eastern Irish Sea

J. Clifton, P. McDonald, A. Plater, F. Oldfield

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Analyses of radionuclideactivity, particle size distribution, elemental composition and magnetic properties of saltmarsh and mudflat sediments from the eastern Irish Sea were undertaken in order to identify potential grain-size proxies which could aid long-term modelling of radionuclideactivity in this area.241Am and137Cs concentrations were found to be highly dependent upon the presence of sediment finer than 5φ, highlighting the need to utilize this fraction in preference to conventional normalization procedures which refer to the abundance of sediment finer than 4φ. Analyses of potential grain-sizeproxies for radionuclideactivity highlighted a similar grain-size association with respect to sediment magnetic properties. This was linked to the influence of organic carbon on microbial populations responsible for mineral magnetism. Regression analysis was employed to derive a method whereby radionuclide concentration can be predicted using magnetic data as agrain-size proxy, thereby facilitating the identification of spatial and temporal trends in activity data.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)511-518
    Number of pages8
    JournalEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
    Volume48
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 1999

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