210Pb and 210Po, manganese and iron cycling across the O2/H2S interface of a permanently anoxic fjord: Framvaren, Norway

Vertical profiles of dissolved and particulate 210Po and 210Pb were measured across the redox transition zone at Station F1 in Framvaren Fjord, Norway. In this fjord, a sharp decrease in pH above the O2/H2S interface facilitates the aerobic dissolution of MnO2. In contrast, Fe(II) concentrations begin to increase only at the O2/H2S interface depth. Activity profiles reveal that dissolved 210Po and 210Pb are sequestered efficiently by particulates in surface waters. As polonium-210 and lead-210 activities descend down into the aerobic manganese reduction (AMR) zone, they are remobilized during the reductive dissolution of the carrier phase oxyhydroxides. Both 210Po and 210Pb are highly enriched at the O2/H2S interface where an active community of microbes, such as anoxygenic phototrophs (e.g., Chromatium, Chlorobium sp.), thrives. The coincident peaks in 210Po, 210Pb and microbial biomass suggest a strong biological influence on the behavior of these radionuclides. There is a strong covariance between the vertical distribution of Mn and Pb, indicating that their redox cycling is closely coupled and is likely microbially mediated.