Vadose zone infiltration rate at Hanford, Washington, inferred from Sr isotope measurements

[i] Sr isotope ratios were measured in the pore water, acid extracts, and sediments of a 70-m vadose zone core to obtain estimates of the long-term infiltration flux for a site in the Hanford/DOE complex in eastern Washington State. The 8 7 Sr/ 8 6 Sr values for the pore waters decrease systematically with depth, from a high value of 0.721 near the surface toward the bulk sediment average value of 0.711. Estimates of the bulk weathering rate combined with Sr isotopic data were used to constrain the long-term (century to millenial scale) natural diffuse infiltration flux for the site given both steady state and nonsteady state conditions. The models suggest that the infiltration flux for the site is 7 ′ 3 mm/yr. The method shows potential for providing long-term in situ estimates of infiltration rates for deep heterogeneous vadose zones.

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