Code: S0600295
Preferred label: POC/Th-234 ratio
Definition: The ratio of particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration to thorium-234 activity. Thorium is insoluble in seawater and is scavenged by particles as they form and/or sink through the water column. This causes a radioactive disequilibrium between 238U and 234Th in the upper water column, which is proportional to the numbers of particles exported. The POC/Th-234 ratio is hence used to estimate particle and elemental export fluxes.
New S06 term created for the POC/Th-234 ratio:
Code: S0600295 Preferred label: POC/Th-234 ratio Definition: The ratio of particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration to thorium-234 activity. Thorium is insoluble in seawater and is scavenged by particles as they form and/or sink through the water column. This causes a radioactive disequilibrium between 238U and 234Th in the upper water column, which is proportional to the numbers of particles exported. The POC/Th-234 ratio is hence used to estimate particle and elemental export fluxes.
The term is now live on the NVS: https://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/S06/current/S0600295/