Radium and radon in Charlotte Harbor Estuary, Florida

R. L. Miller; T. F. Kraemer; B. F. McPherson

doi:10.1016/0272-7714(90)90037-r

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Radium and radon in Charlotte Harbor Estuary, Florida

R. L. Miller·T. F. Kraemer·B. F. McPherson

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Abstract

Radium-226 and 222 Rn activities are greater in the estuarine waters of northern Charlotte Harbor and the lower tidal Peace and Myakka Rivers, Florida, than in either the freshwater reaches of the rivers or waters of the lower estuary and the Gulf of Mexico. The activity of 226 Ra in the tidal rivers increases with decreasing river inflow, with a maximum value of 548 dpm 1001 −1 measured in the tidal Myakka River. The source of the high activity of 226 Ra and 222 Rn is predominantly ground water inflow. Because of the large ground water input, the contribution of 226 Ra from suspended and bottom sediments is a smaller fraction of the total 226 Ra input than in many other estuaries. Although ground water 226 Ra activity in the area varies widely, we estimate that artesian ground water inflow to the tidal rivers is similar in magnitude to the flow of the rivers above the tidal reach during the dry season.

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Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 26.406903934019837° to 27.93617063819012° latitude; -82.33312858939593° to -81.04148811874879° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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BibTeX RIS

R. L. Miller, T. F. Kraemer, B. F. McPherson. 1990. Radium and radon in Charlotte Harbor Estuary, Florida. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-7714(90)90037-r

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