Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polonium-210 and lead-210 in Antarctic marine biota and sea water

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Concentrations of the naturally-ocurring radionuclides 210Po and 210Pb were measured in krill (Euphausia superba), mesozooplankton, phytoplankton and sea water collected during the South African SIBEX cruise to the Antarctic in autumn 1984. The data reported constitute the first substantial measurements on 210Po and 210Pb in such samples in the Antarctic Ocean. The concentrations of 210Po in mesozooplankton and phytoplankton are unexceptional in comparison with those from other oceans. The SIBEX E. superba, however, have higher levels of 210Po than usually found in euphausiids. The 210Po data, combined with reasonable estimates of biological quantitites such as the fractional assimilation, are used to obtain information about the diet of E. superba. It is suggested that the higher 210Po in the SIBEX E. superba reflects a change from an almost entirely phytoplanktonic diet in summer to a more omnivorous diet as winter approaches. The data show that there are allometric relationships between the 210Po content of euphausiids and animal size; these are discussed briefly. The limited sea-water data presented are characterized by unusually high 210Po:210Pb activity ratios and need further investigation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Allanson, B. R.: The South African SIBEX I cruise to the Prydz Bay region, 1984: VII. Light, chlorophyll a and primary production in the survey area. S. Afr. J. antarct. Res. 15, 24–27 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bacon, M. P.: 210Pb and 210Po results from F. S. “Meteor” cruise 32 in the North Atlantic. “Meteor” ForschErgebn. (Reihe A) 19, 24–36 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bacon, M. P., D. W. Spencer and P. G. Brewer: 210Pb/226Ra and 210Po/210Pb disequilibria in sea water and suspended particulate matter. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 32, 277–296 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, T. M., R. J. Eagle and T. A. Jokela: Polonium-210, lead-210 and stable lead in marine organisms. Q. Summ. Rep. Hlth Saf. Lab., N.Y. (Fallout Progm.) HASL 273, 2–36 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Beasley, T. M., M. Heyraud, J. J. W. Higgo, R. D. Cherry and S. W. Fowler: 210Po and 210Pb in zooplankton fecal pellets. Mar. Biol. 44, 325–328 (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, J. T. and R. Carpenter: Concentrations and temporal variations of 210Po, 210Pb and Al in the surf zone ecosystem of Copalis Beach, Washington. Estuar. cstl mar. Sci. 8, 127–140 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Boden, B. P.: The South African SIBEX I Cruise to Prydz Bay region, 1984: VIII. The plankton encountered during the survey. S. Afr. J. antarct. Res. 15, 28–32 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, C. M., M. Heyraud and C. N. Boyd: Feeding of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. J. Crustacean Biol. (Lawrence, Kansas) 4, (Special No. 1), 123–141 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, R. D., S. W. Fowler, T. M. Beasley and M. Heyraud: Polonium-210: its vertical oceanic transport by zooplankton metabolic activity. Mar. Chem. 3, 105–110 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, R. D. and M. Heyraud: Polonium-210 content of marine shrimp: variation with biological and environmental factors. Mar. Biol. 65, 165–175 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, R. D. and M. Heyraud: Evidence of high natural radiation doses in certain mid-water oceanic organisms. Science, N.Y. 218, 54–56 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherry, R. D. and L. V. Shannon: The alpha radioactivity of marine organisms. Atom. Energy Rev., Vienna 12, 1–45 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, Y.: 210Pb and 226Ra distributions in the circumpolar waters. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 55, 205–216 (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, Y. and M. D. Applequist: 226Ra and 210Pb in the Weddell Sea. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 49, 401–410 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung, Y. and H. Craig: 210Pb in the Pacific: the GEOSECS measurements of particulate and dissolved concentrations. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 65, 406–432 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Conover, R. J.: Assimilation of organic matter by zooplankton, Limnol. Oceanogr. 11, 338–345 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, H. A. and T. A. McMahon: The 3/4 mass exponent for energy metabolism is not a statistical artefact. Respir. Physiol. 52, 149–163 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, W. W.: The determination of low levels of polonium-210 in environmental materials. Analytica chim. Acta 43, 221–227 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Folsom, T. R. and T. M. Beasley: Contributions from the alphaemitter, polonium-210, to the natural radiation environment of the marine organisms. In: Radioactive contamination of the marine environment, pp 625–632. Viena: International Atomic Energy Agency 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, S. W., G. Benayoun and L. F. Small: Experimental studies on feeding, growth and assimilation in a Mediterranean euphausiid. Thalassia jugosl. 7, 35–47 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallden, N. A. and J. H. Harley: An improved alpha counting technique. Analyt. Chem. 32, 1861–1863 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyraud, M.: Food ingestion and digestive transit time in the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica as a function on animal size. J. Plankton Res. 1, 301–311 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyraud, M.: Contribution a l'étude du polonium-210 et du plomb-210 dans les organismes marins et leur environment, pp 1–144. Thèse de Doctorat D'Etat, Université de Paris VI, 1982

  • Heyraud, M. and R. D. Cherry: Polonium-210 and lead-210 in marine food chains. Mar. Biol. 52, 227–236 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyraud, M., S. W. Fowler, T. M. Beasley and R. D. Cherry: Polonium-210 in euphausiids — a detailed study. Mar. Biol. 34, 127–136 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgo, J. J. W., R. D. Cherry, M. Heyraud, S. W. Fowler and T. M. Beasley: Vertical oceanis transport of alpha-radioactive nuclides by zooplankton fecal pellets. In: The natural radiation environment, III, pp 502–513. Ed. by T. F. Gesel and N. M. Lowder, U.S. Department of Energy 1980. (CONF780-422)

  • Hoffman, F. L., V. F. Hodge and T. R. Folsom: 210Po radioactivity in organs of selected tunas and other marine fish. J. Radiat. Res. 15, 103–106 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtzmann, R. B.: Concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po in aquatic fauna. Proc. 2nd natn. Symp. Radioecol. U.S. atom. Energy Commn (Ann Arbor, 1967). CONF 670 503, 535–546 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ino, Y. and M. Fukuchi: Report on the chlorophyll distribution along the course of the “Fuji” in 1981–1982. Antarctic Rec. 81, 38–44 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kato, M., S. Segawa, E. Tanoue and M. Murano: Filtering and ingestion rates of the Antarctic krill, Euphasia superba Dana. Trans. Tokyo Univ. Fish. 5, 167–175 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kharkar, D. P., J. Thomson, K. K. Turekian and W. O. Forster: Uranium and thorium decay series nuclides in plankton from the Caribbean. Limnol. Oceanogr. 21, 294–299 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, G., B. Ardouin and G. Polian: Volcanic output of longlived radon daughters. J. geophys. Res. 87, 11103–11108 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, G., A. Buisson, J. Sanak and B. Ardouin: Modification of the atmospheric polonium-210 to lead-210 ratio by volcanic emissions. J. geophys. Res. 84, 6980–6986 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, R.: Feeding, growth, respiration and carbon utilization of a euphausiid crustacean. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 23, 1291–1317 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mauchline, J.: The biology of mysids and euphausiids. Adv. mar. Biol. 18, 1–677 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mauchline, J. and L. R. Fisher: The biology of euphausiids. Adv. mar. Biol. 7, 1–454 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayzaud, P.: Potential relationships between particulate matter and nutritional processes of Euphausia superba. A review of the results obtained during the MD25/FIBEX cruise Ber. Polarforsch. (Bremerhaven) 4 (Sdhft), 92–101 (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  • Millard, H. T.: Quantitative radiochemical procedures for analysis of polonium-210 and lead-210 in minerals. Analyt. Chem. 35, 1017–1023 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, D. J.: Integrated model of moulting and feeding of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba off South Georgia. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 22, 207–217 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Nozaki, Y., J. Thomson and K. K. Turekian: The distribution of 210Pb and 210Po in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 32, 304–312 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponomareva, L. A.: The euphausiids of the North Pacific, their distribution and ecology, 412 pp. Moscow: Academy of USSR Institute of Oceanology 1963. [Transl: Jerusalem: Israel Program for Scientific Translations 1966]

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, W. I., R. L. Chuan and P. R. Kyle: Rate of sulphur dioxide emission from Erebus volcano, Antarctica, December 1983, Nature, Lond. 316, 710–712 (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, R. M.: Energetics of Euphausia pacifica. I. Effects of body carbon and nitrogen on measured and predicted production. Mar. Biol. 68, 1–13 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, L. V., R. D. Cherry and M. J. Orren: Polonium-210 and lead-210 in the marine environment. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 34, 710–711 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Somayajulu, B. L. K. and H. Craig: Particulate and soluble 210Pb activities in the deep sea. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 32, 268–276 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, D. W., M. P. Bacon and P. G. Brewer: The distribution of 210Pb and 210Po in the North Sea. Thalassia jugosl. 16, 125–154 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsunogai, S. and Y. Nozaki: Lead-210 and polonium-210 in the surface water of the Pacific. Geochem. J. 5, 165–173 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. M. I. Cherry

    Present address: Animal Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS, Oxford, England

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Cape Town, 7700, Rondebosch, Cape Province, South Africa

    M. I. Cherry & R. D. Cherry

  2. International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity, Musée Océanographique, Monaco

    M. Heyraud

Authors
  1. M. I. Cherry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. D. Cherry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Heyraud
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by J. Mauchline, Oban

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cherry, M.I., Cherry, R.D. & Heyraud, M. Polonium-210 and lead-210 in Antarctic marine biota and sea water. Mar. Biol. 96, 441–449 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412529

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00412529

Keywords

Search

Navigation