Fluxes,residence times,and sources of some elements to Lake Michigan

Fluxes of 28 elements to Lake Michigan are calculated from literature data on sedimentation rates and concentrations in sediments and water. Lake Michigan residence times are roughly 10⁴ lower than oceanic residence times. A mass balance has been formulated for 24 elements, with soil and aerosol as the only sources. These sources provide fourfold excesses of Cu, Hg, Sb, Se, and V, and order of magnitude deficits for Ca, Mg, Na, and Cl, but account (to within 50%) for the observed inputs of Ag, Al, As, Br, Co, Cr, Fe, K, La, Mn, S, Si, Sc, Th, and Zn. Except for Al, Co, La, Si, and Th, deposition from aerosol accounts for at least one-fifth of the total input.