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210Po and 210Pb in zooplankton fecal pellets

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Abstract

210Po and 210Pb concentrations in fecal pellets from the zooplanktonic euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica are reported. The 210Po:210Pb activity ratio is 2.2±0.3, a value in good agreement with that found in suspended particulate matter in surface seawater. Estimates of 210Po and 210Pb removal times from the mixed layer by fecal pellets alone yield values which are of the same order of magnitude as the removal times for these nuclides by all routes. It is suggested that there is a high probability that zooplanktonic fecal pellets play a significant role in the removal of both these nuclides from the surface layers of the ocean.

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Communicated by J.M. Pérès, Marseille

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Beasley, T.M., Heyraud, M., Higgo, J.J.W. et al. 210Po and 210Pb in zooplankton fecal pellets. Mar. Biol. 44, 325–328 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390896

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