Sedimentation of Pb-210 in Laurentian Shield Lakes

Abstract
The average annual flux of Pb-210 from the atmosphere to lake surfaces and to the bottom sediments was measured in seven small lakes located on the Laurentian Shield. Direct atmospheric fallout of Pb-210 was 136 ± 16 Bq m-2 a-1 Streams from the lakes' catchments input an additional 5 to 473 Bq m-2 a-1. Only 16 to 80 percent of the total input was found in the lake sediments. The fractional rate constant for Pb-210 sedimentation from the water column ranged from 0.25 to 5.3 per annum.