Submarine groundwater discharge data at meter scale (223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, 228Ra and 222Rn) in Indian River Bay (Delaware, US)

Abstract

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) was sampled at high-spatial resolution in Indian River Bay, DE, USA, in July 2016 to characterize the spatial variability of the activity of the radium and radon isotopes commonly used to estimate SGD. These data were part of an investigation into the methods and challenges of characterizing SGD rates and variability, especially in the coastal aquifer transition from freshwater to saltwater (Hydrogeological processes and near shore spatial variability of radium and radon isotopes for the characterization of submarine groundwater discharge (Duque et al., 2019)). Samples were collected with seepage meters and minipiezometers to obtain sufficient volumes for analytical characterization. Seepage meter samples (for 223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra) were collected at two-hour intervals over a semi-diurnal tidal cycle from 30 seepage meters. Samples for 222Rn characterization were collected with a minipiezometer from 25 cm below the bay bed at each seepage meter location. All samples were analyzed with standard and state of the art procedures. Keywords: Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), Radon (Rn), Radium (Ra), Coastal groundwater, Radioactive tracers, Indian River bay, DE, USA