Solubility behavior of atmospheric 7Be in the marine environment

Abstract The solubility of natural 7 Be from air particulate matter in seawater was determined as a function of time. Adsorption of the thus solubilized 7 Be on a variety of substrates was investigated. 7 Be appears to be strongly adsorbed on suspended matter and inorganic materials at high suspended loads (> 20 mg 1 −1 ), but at natural levels (∼1 mg 1 −1 ) is only partially adsorbed. Further, at natural concentrations of suspended matter, adsorption of 7 Be appears to be directly proportional to suspended load. Because a non-steady-state flux of 7 Be to the bottom could be expected over its 53-day half-life, 7 Be may be a poor tracer of sedimentation rates and sediment redistribution processes.