Intrigued by Rare Earth Elements and neodymium isotopes? A review for the curious

Science Highlights

6 August 2024

Vanessa Hatje and a group of Rare Earth Element (REE) specialists (2024, see reference below) propose an exhaustive review on the behaviour of REE, not forgetting the informative neodymium (Nd) isotopes, in the aquatic environment. The sources, sinks and transformations of these elements along the land-sea continuum are reviewed. The effects of increased use of REE in industry and medicine are also discussed, as are their bioavailability, bioaccumulation and transfer along trophic chains. Finally, the potential effects of climate change on the cycling, mobility and bioavailability of these elements are discussed. In other words, this paper is a comprehensive review of REE behavior in the environment, from their properties and roles to their distribution and anthropogenic impacts, offering valuable insights and pinpointing key knowledge gaps.

Global ocean compilation of (a) dissolved Nd concentrations and (b) corresponding Nd isotopic composition (εNd). Data extracted from van de Flierdt et al. (2016), Filippova et al. (2017), Crocket et al. (2018), Paffrath et al. (2021) and Pham et al. (2022).

Reference:

Hatje, V., Schijf, J., Johannesson, K. H., Andrade, R., Caetano, M., Brito, P., Haley, B. A., Lagarde, M., & Jeandel, C. (2024). The Global Biogeochemical Cycle of the Rare Earth Elements. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 38. Access the paper: 10.1029/2024gb008125

van de Flierdt, T., Grifths, A. M., Lambelet, M., Little, S. H., Stichel, T., & Wilson, D. J. (2016). Neodymium in the oceans: A global database, a regional comparison and implications for palaeoceanographic research. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, 374(2081), 20150293. Access the paper:  10.1098/rsta.2015.0293

Filippova, A., Frank, M., Kienast, M., Rickli, J., Hathorne, E., Yashayaev, I. M., & Pahnke, K. (2017). Water mass circulation and weathering inputs in the Labrador Sea based on coupled Hf–Nd isotope compositions and rare earth element distributions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 199, 164–184. Access the paper: 10.1016/j.gca.2016.11.024

Crocket, K. C., Hill, E., Abell, R. E., Johnson, C., Gary, S. F., Brand, T., & Hathorne, E. C. (2018). Rare earth element distribution in the NE Atlantic: Evidence for benthic sources, longevity of the seawater signal, and biogeochemical cycling. Frontiers in Marine Science, 5, 147. Access the paper:  10.3389/fmars.2018.00147

Paffrath, R., Pahnke, K., Böning, P., Rutgers van der Loeff, M., Valk, O., Gdaniec, S., & Planquette, H. (2021). Seawater-Particle Interactions of Rare Earth Elements and Neodymium Isotopes in the Deep Central Arctic Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126(8), e2021JC017423. Access the paper:  10.1029/2021JC017423

Pham, V. Q., Jeandel, C., Grenier, M., Cravatte, S., Eldin, G., Belhadj, M., et al. (2022). Neodymium Isotopic Composition and Rare Earth Element Concentration Variations in the Coral and Solomon Seas. Frontiers in Environmental Chemistry, 3. Access the paper: 10.3389/fenvc.2022.803944

Latest highlights

Organic matter export rates along a North-South Pacific Ocean section: what three estimating methods tell us

Quay and his colleagues present estimates of the organic matter export rate along the GEOTRACES GP15 cruise section.

East-West contrasting fate and anthropogenic inputs for dissolved trace metals in the Subarctic Pacific Ocean

Chan and co-authors report the full-depth distribution of dissolved nickel, copper, zinc, and cadmium in the North Pacific Ocean.

Comprehensive quantification of the rare earth element cycle in the northwest Pacific Ocean

Cao and co-authors investigate dissolved rare earth elements and the factors controlling their distributions in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

Iron and zinc isotopes disentangle the anthropogenic, natural and wildfire sources of aerosols over the North and Equatorial Pacific Ocean

Bunnell and co-authors analysed aerosol iron and zinc isotopic compositions along the North Pacific GEOTRACES GP15 section (Alaska-Tahiti).

Rechercher