The flux of barium to the coastal waters of the southeastern USA: The importance of submarine groundwater discharge

Dissolved Ba concentrations in the inner shelf waters of the South Atlantic Eight (SAB) are two- to three-fold enriched in Ba when compared to Atlantic surface water. We determined that river input could account for about 25% of the observed enrichment. However, salty groundwaters are enriched in Ba by as much as an order of magnitude over calculated river water endmembers. The resultant input of Ba to the coastal environment, via enriched groundwater, is the likely source for the observed Ba enrichment on the inner shelf. The flux of Ba from the inner shelf to the ocean is 70 x 10(3) moles per day. The flux of Ba reaching the inner shelf from salty groundwaters ranges from 25 to 100 x 10(3) moles of Ba per day. Groundwater input of Ba appears to be much more important than river input for the Southeastern coast of the US. Copyright (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.