RARE-EARTH ELEMENT MOBILIZATION FROM MARINE ATMOSPHERIC DUST INTO SEAWATER

Between 1 and 3% of the rare earth elements in a marine aerosol of Sah aran origin were dissolved into surface seawater in a laboratory exper iment. The REEs appear to fall into the category of those predominantl y associated with the mineral aerosol (e.g. Al, Si and Fe). The interm ediate rare earths (Eu-Er) showed slightly greater solubility than lig ht- and heavy-rare earths which may reflect release of REEs from aeros ol mineral coatings. Extrapolation to a global budget suggests that di ssolved atmospheric input is equivalent to about 30-130% of rare earth element input to the oceans by rivers.