Beryllium-7 sorption to inorganic particles in Tahsis Inlet, Nootka Sound, B.C.

Senior thesis written for Oceanography 445

[author abstract] Sediment deposition from fluvial inputs is one of the main ways new sediment is introduced into seabeds, but many other processes can occur before the sediment reaches the seafloor. Beryllium-7 (⁷Be) is a radioisotope that is produced in the atmosphere, brought down to the earth via rainfall and binds to sediment. Runoff and rivers then transfer this sediment to the ocean. With a 53 day half-life, ⁷Be can be used to date sediment back to a year. The relationship between ⁷Be and grain size has been studied many times but has shown no correlation. Since ⁷Be binds to inorganic particles and is not grain size dependent, the idea that inorganic material controls sorption is what prompted this study. Tahsis Inlet in Nootka Sound, was chosen due to the nature of the inlet: multiple river deltas, the presence of a sill and a connecting passage to another fjord.

University of Washington School of Oceanography