NON-CONSERVATIVE BEHAVIOR OF BROMIDE IN SURFACE WATERS AND BRINES OF CENTRAL ANDES: A RELEASE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE?

Abstract

The transfer of reactive bromine into the atmosphere was recently observed by H?nninger et al. [H?nninger, G., Bobrowski, N., Palenque, E.R., Torrez, R., Platt, U., 2004. Reactive bromine and sulfur emission at salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. Geophys. Res. Lett. 31, doi:10.1029/2003GL018818] in a large salt pan of the Bolivian Altiplano: the salar de Uyuni. However, bromide is considered to be an excellent conservative tracer, which leads to the questioning of its actual conservation in surficial geochemical processes. The relation between bromide and lithium, thought to be a conservative component in waters and brines of the Central Andes, points to a depletion of Br relative to Li in Uyuni brines of about 50-300 kg/day, a flux close to that measured by H?nninger et al. (2004): {greater than or slanted equal to}200 kg/day. Such values are very low in regard to the size of the salar (5-30 g/km2/day). Salt efflorescences have a much higher surface area than a flat salt crust, which should enhance the release of bromine. Leach solutions of salt efflorescences in closed basins of northern Chile are compared to their parent waters. Conservative components should have the same concentration ratios in both solutions. Actually, a strong depletion in Br is observed in the leach solutions, which could suggest a significant release of Br from the salt into the atmosphere. During the rainy season, efflorescences are leached and their dissolved components brought in saline lakes and salars. Evaporative profiles show a slight but noticeable fractionation between Li and Br which could be due to the contribution of Br-depleted leach solutions of salt efflorescences. Therefore, bromide does not behave conservatively in surface waters and brines of the Central Andes. If the loss of Br is really due to its transfer into the atmosphere, then the flux would be much higher than that estimated for the salar de Uyuni alone. Numerous salt pans, saline lakes, and widespread efflorescences covering large land surfaces would contribute significantly more reactive bromine into the atmosphere. ? 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.