Publications

Surface water and in some cases also groundwaters of industrialised and highly populated areas show REE patterns with outstanding positive Gd anomalies. These are formed by using gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA) as a contrast medium in magnetic resonance imaging. This Gd complex is very stable under natural conditions. It is an anion and so not adsorbed onto clay mineral surfaces or particulate organic matter, in contrast to free rare earth element (REE) ions ions. Thus, this complex is a pseudo-natural marker, and allows the study of the origin of certain waters and their fate during mixing processes.

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Möller, P.; Dulski, P.; Bau, M.; Knappe, A.; Pekdeger, A.; Sommer von Jarmersted, C. (2001): Anthropogenic gadolinium as a conservative tracer in hydrology. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 69-70, 409-414.