Find in Library

210Po and 210Pb activities were determined in dissolved and particulate phases in order to understand the behavior of both natural radionuclides in shallow water regions such as Mersing Estuary. Strong statistical correlations between the distribution coefficient values of polonium and lead in dissolved phases with SPM proved that the natural nuclides of polonium and lead have a high affinity to suspended particle materials in the water column, where the SPM acts as a carrier to transport and remove natural isotopes of polonium and lead from their geochemical behavior. However a low statistical correlation (r=0.414) found between chlorophyll-a with an activity ratio of 210Po/210Pb and SPM implies that the enrichment of 210Po was not associated with the abundance of chlorophyll-a. But a strong correlation between soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and 210Po in the dissolved phase proved that the contribution of phosphate element as catalysis increasing the activity levels of 210Po at coastal waters.