Radio-isotope tracer measurements of sand transport on the outer continental shelf, Sable Island Canada

Abstract

Radioactivated Iridium 192 glass was used to monitor the transport of sand at two locations on the outer Atlantic continental shelf of Canada. One site (Olympia) is located 7.2 km North of Sable Island at a depth of 35 m in a region of 0.5-0.6 mm diameter sand patches overlying coarser lag sand. The other site (Venture) is situated 8.6 km South of Sable Island at a depth of 32 m on the crest of a large shore-connected sand ridge of uniform grain size (0.37 mm). Two kilograms of radioactive glass tracer with a total radioactivity of 1.5 Curies were injected at each location in September 1984 and subsequently surveyed in October, January and February.