The influence of particle composition on thorium scavenging in the NE Atlantic ocean (POMME experiment)

230Th, 232Th and 234Th were analyzed in sinking particles collected by moored and drifting sediment traps in the NE Atlantic Ocean (POMME experiment) in order to constrain the phase(s) carrying Th isotopes in the water column. It reveals a contrasted behaviour between 234Th and 230Th. 234Th is correlated to the particulate organic carbon suggesting that it is primarily scavenged by organic compounds in the surface waters. 230Thxs is correlated with Mn, Ba and the lithogenic fraction that are enriched in small suspended particles and incorporated in the sinking particulate flux throughout the water column. The lack of correlation between 230Thxs and CaCO3 or biogenic silica (bSi) indicates that CaCO3 and bSi are not responsible for 230Th scavenging in the deep waters of this oceanic region. 230Th is generally correlated with the lithogenic content of the trapped material but this correlation disappears in winter during strong atmospheric dust inputs suggesting that lithogenic matter is not directly responsible for 230Th scavenging in the deep waters or that sufficient time is required to achieve particle–solution equilibration. MnO2 could be the prevalent 230Thxs-bearing phase. The narrow range of Kd_MnO2Th obtained for very contrasted oceanic environments supports a global control of 230Thxs scavenging by MnO2 and raises the possibility that the 230Th–231Pa fractionation is controlled by the amount of colloidal MnO2 in seawater.