Th fractionation by ocean transport , biogenic particle flux and particle type

Pa and Th are removed from the water column by a process of reversible scavenging which quickly removes Th to the sediment. Pa is less efficiently scavenged onto particles than Th and is therefore more effectively transported via advection and diffusion before it reaches the ocean sediment. This study combines particle fields (dust, opal, CaCO3, POC) derived from observations with the Bern3D intermediate complexity ocean model and an equilibrium-scavenging model for isotopes. The equilibrium partition coefficient for particulate versus dissolved isotope activity is varied with particle type. The model can explain many of the features of the global Pa and Th distribution. The success of such a simple model at representing the global pattern of Pa / Th activity ratio supports the use of this proxy in paleoceanographic studies. We use the model to address the controversy concerning which particle types are dominant in fractionating Pa / Th in the ocean. The lithogenic (dust) flux is found to be unimportant for Pa / Th fractionation— the ocean fractionation of Pa / Th is dominated by the distribution of the CaCO3 and opal flux. We also confirm that opal is a weak scavenger of Th. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.