Landscape control of uranium and thorium in boreal streams – spatiotemporal variability and the role of wetlands

The concentrations of uranium and thorium in ten partly nested streams in the boreal forest region were monitored over a two-year period. Considerable spatiotemporal variations were observed, with little or no correlation between streams. The export of both uranium and thorium varied substantially between the subcatchments, ranging from 1.7 to 30 g km−2 a−1 for uranium and from 3.2 to 24 g km−2 a−1 for thorium. Airborne gamma spectrometry was used to measure the concentrations of uranium and thorium in surface soils throughout the catchment, but could not explain the variability in the export. Instead, the extent of lakes and mires within each subcatchment was found to be a stronger predictor for the transport of uranium and thorium. The results indicate that there is a predictable and systematic accumulation of both uranium and thorium in boreal mires. Approximately 65–80 % of uranium and 55–65 % of thorium entering a mire is estimated to be retained in the peat. Overall, accumulation in mires and other types of wetlands is estimated to decrease the fluxes of uranium and thorium from the boreal forest landscape by 30–40 %. The atmospheric deposition of uranium and thorium was also quantified and its contribution to boreal streams was found to be low compared to weathering.