NDLI: Factors controlling the groundwater transport of U, Th, Ra, and Rn

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Tricca, A. Porcelli, D. Wasserburg, G. J.
Copyright Year	2000
Abstract	A model for the groundwater transport of naturally occurring U, Th, Ra, and Rn nuclides in the$^{238}$U and$^{232}$Th decay series is discussed. The model developed here takes into account transport by advection and the physico-chemical processes of weathering, decay, α-recoil, and sorption at the water-rock interface. It describes the evolution along a flowline of the activities of the$^{238}$U and$^{232}$Th decay series nuclides in groundwater. Simple sets of relationships governing the activities of the various species in solution are derived, and these can be used both to calculate effective retardation factors and to interpret groundwater data. For the activities of each nuclide, a general solution to the transport equation has been obtained, which shows that the activities reach a constant value after a distance ϰ$_{i}$, characteristic of each nuclide. Where ϰ$_{i}$ is much longer than the aquifer length, (for$^{238}$U,$^{234}$U, and$^{232}$Th), the activities grow linearly with distance. Where gK$^{i}$ is short compared to the aquifer length, (for$^{234}$Th,$^{230}$Th,$^{228}$Th,$^{228}$Ra, and$^{224}$Ra), the activities rapidly reach a constant or quasi-constant activity value. For$^{226}$Ra and$^{222}$Rn, the limiting activity is reached after 1 km.High δ$^{234}$U values (proportional to the ratio$^{ɛ234}$Th/$^{W238}$U) can be obtained through high recoil fraction and/or low weathering rates. The activity ratios$^{230}$Th/$^{232}$Th,$^{228}$Ra/$^{226}$Ra and$^{224}$Ra/$^{226}$Ra have been considered in the cases where either weathering or recoil is the predominant process of input from the mineral grain. Typical values for weathering rates and recoil fractions for a sandy aquifer indicate that recoil is the dominant process for Th isotopic ratios in the water. Measured data for Ra isotope activity ratios indicate that recoil is the process generally controlling the Ra isotopic composition in water. Higher isotopic ratios can be explained by different desorption kinetics of Ra. However, the model does not provide an explanation for$^{228}$Ra/$^{226}$Ra and$^{224}$Ra/$^{226}$Ra activity ratios less than unity.From the model, the highest$^{222}$Rn emanation equals 2ɛ. This is in agreement with the hypothesis that$^{222}$Rn activity can be used as a first approximation for input by recoil (Krishnaswamiet al 1982). However, high$^{222}$Rn emanation cannot be explained by production from the surface layer as formulated in the model. Other possibilities involve models including surface precipitation, where the surface layer is not in steady-state.
Starting Page	95
Ending Page	108
Page Count	14
File Format	PDF
ISSN	02534126
Journal	Journal of Earth System Science
Volume Number	109
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	0973774X
Language	English
Publisher	Springer India
Publisher Date	2000-01-01
Publisher Institution	Indian Academy of Sciences
Publisher Place	New Delhi
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Groundwater trace elements isotopes pollutants Geosciences Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Sciences
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	1900/1901

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Application of$^{226}$Ra,$^{228}$Ra,$^{223}$Ra, and$^{224}$Ra in coastal waters to assessing coastal mixing rates and groundwater discharge to oceans

The concentrations and distributions of U and Th in Paleozoic aquifers surrounding the Llano Uplift area, central Texas, U.S.A.: application to the sources of Ra and Rn in groundwater

Trace element and isotopic studies of Permo-Carboniferous carbonate nodules from Talchir sediments of peninsular India: Environmental and provenance implications

Speleothems as high-resolution paleoenvironment archives: Records from northeastern China

Guidelines and Limits for the Quantification of Ra Isotopes and Related Radionuclides With the Radium Delayed Coincidence Counter (RaDeCC)

Observations of trace gases and aerosols over the Indian Ocean during the monsoon transition period

Hydrologic factors controlling groundwater salinity in northwestern coastal zone, Egypt

$^{210}$Pb in the ocean: A pilot tracer for modeling particle reactive elements

Spatial analyses of groundwater levels using universal kriging

Factors controlling the groundwater transport of U, Th, Ra, and Rn

Similar Documents

Application of$^{226}$Ra,$^{228}$Ra,$^{223}$Ra, and$^{224}$Ra in coastal waters to assessing coastal mixing rates and groundwater discharge to oceans

The concentrations and distributions of U and Th in Paleozoic aquifers surrounding the Llano Uplift area, central Texas, U.S.A.: application to the sources of Ra and Rn in groundwater

Trace element and isotopic studies of Permo-Carboniferous carbonate nodules from Talchir sediments of peninsular India: Environmental and provenance implications

Speleothems as high-resolution paleoenvironment archives: Records from northeastern China

Guidelines and Limits for the Quantification of Ra Isotopes and Related Radionuclides With the Radium Delayed Coincidence Counter (RaDeCC)

Observations of trace gases and aerosols over the Indian Ocean during the monsoon transition period

Hydrologic factors controlling groundwater salinity in northwestern coastal zone, Egypt

$^{210}$Pb in the ocean: A pilot tracer for modeling particle reactive elements

Spatial analyses of groundwater levels using universal kriging

Factors controlling the groundwater transport of U, Th, Ra, and Rn