茶树-土壤生态系统中HTO的迁移与消长动态

采用模拟污染物的同位素示踪技术研究HTO（氚水）在茶树-土壤模拟生态系统中的迁移规律。测定了植物和土壤样品中两种形态氚（自由水氚和结合态氚）的比活度，并应用具有相互交换的双库室开系统模型确定了茶和土壤分室的拟合方程。结果表明：引入土壤中的HTO，不仅在系统积分室间转移和分配，而且迅速向系统外扩散；HTO中的氚以自由水氚和结合态氚形式存在于茶树中，以吸湿性水氚和结晶水氚存在于土壤，其中自由水氚（或吸湿性不氚）远大于结合态氚（或结晶水氚）；对实验数据进行回归分析得；茶树植株中的总氚比活度Ct(t)=314.09(e^-0.0569t-e^-0.3777t)，土壤中的总氚比活度Cs(t)=136.73e^-0.3777t 112.22e^-0.0569t。     

一种高效的硅胶中氚化水自动化解析技术

文章介绍采用温度自动控制的铸铝加热方式提取硅胶中氚化水的一种高效节能解析技术,并通过实验验证表明,该解析技术对硅胶吸附氚化水样品的最佳解析时间为15 min,此时100 g饱和硅胶样品至少能解析水7～10 mL用于液闪测量,对硅胶中氚化水的平均回收率优于99%,氚记忆效应小于万分之二。该技术与GB12375-90标准提出的氚蒸馏技术相比,具有能同时处理多个样品,可提高硅胶氚吸附样品前处理制样效率、节约能源等特点。     

Measured and modelled tritium concentrations in freshwater Barnes mussels (Elliptio complanata) exposed to an abrupt increase in ambient tritium levels

To improve understanding of environmental tritium behaviour, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) included a Tritium and C-14 Working Group (WG) in its EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) program. One scenario considered by the WG involved the prediction of time-dependent tritium concentrations in freshwater mussels that were subjected to an abrupt increase in ambient tritium levels. The experimental data used in the scenario were obtained from a study in which freshwater Barnes mussels (Elliptio complanata) were transplanted from an area with background tritium concentrations to a small Canadian Shield lake that contains elevated tritium. The mussels were then sampled over 88 days, and concentrations of free-water tritium (HTO) and organically-bound tritium (OBT) were measured in the soft tissues to follow the build-up of tritium in the mussels over time.The HTO concentration in the mussels reached steady state with the concentration in lake water within one or two hours. Most models predicted a longer time (up to a few days) to equilibrium. All models under-predicted the OBT concentration in the mussels one hour after transplantation, but over-predicted the rate of OBT formation over the next 24 h. Subsequent dynamics were not well modelled, although all participants predicted OBT concentrations that were within a factor of three of the observation at the end of the study period. The concentration at the final time point was over-predicted by all but one of the models. The relatively low observed concentration at this time was likely due to the loss of OBT by mussels during reproduction.     

氚水在模拟海水生态系统中的积累、迁移和消长

运用同位素示踪技术研究了氚水在模拟海水生态系统中的积累、迁移等特性。试验期间，海水中氚的含量随时间逐渐减少。底质对吸湿性水氚的积累呈递增趋势，而对结晶水氚没有明显的积累。自由水氚是氚水在缢蛏和中华乌塘鳢体内的主要存在形式，结合态氚在这两种海洋生物中的含量均很低。缢蛏和中华乌塘鳢对氚水的富集系数均小于1，说明它们对氚水都没有明显的富集效应。     

Tritium profiles in snowpacks

The release of tritiated water (HTO) to the atmosphere during the winter can contribute significantly to snow contamination and to water-soil-plant contamination after the spring thaw. The dose significance of such a release depends on the persistence of tritiated water in the snowpack, which is primarily controlled by the HTO diffusion process in snow and the rate of re-emission into the atmosphere from the snowpack surface. Monitoring data collected after an acute winter release at Chalk River Laboratories and data obtained in winter over a chronically contaminated area were analyzed to estimate the diffusion coefficient of HTO in the snowpack. Under conditions of cold and dry snow, the diffusion coefficient lay in the range 1-2 × 10⁻¹⁰ m² s⁻¹, an order of magnitude lower than diffusion in water but an order of magnitude higher than self-diffusion in ice. These results confirm the theoretical predictions (Bales, 1991). Values up to six times higher were found for warmer periods and just before spring melt, when other processes contribute to profile evolution. The low diffusion rate of tritium in cold, dry snow means that tritium remains in the snowpack throughout the winter, to be released during spring thaw to potentially contaminate surface water, soil and crops.     

HTO and OBT activity concentrations in soil at the historical atmospheric HT release site (Chalk River Laboratories)

Tritium is routinely released by the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) nuclear facilities. Three International HT release experiments have been conducted at the CRL site in the past. The site has not been disturbed since the last historical atmospheric testing in 1994 and presents an opportunity to assess the retention of tritium in soil. This study is devoted to the measurement of HTO and OBT activity concentration profiles in the subsurface 25 cm of soil.In terms of soil HTO, there is no evidence from the past HT release experiments that HTO was retained. The HTO activity concentration in the soil pore water appears similar to concentrations found in background areas in Ontario. In contrast, OBT activity concentrations in soil at the same site were significantly higher than HTO activity concentrations in soil. Elevated OBT appears to reside in the top layer of the soil (0-5 cm). In addition, OBT activity concentrations in the top soil layer did not fluctuate much with season, again, quite in contrast with soil HTO. This result suggests that OBT activity concentrations retained the signature of the historical tritium releases.     

Rain scavenging of tritiated water vapour: a numerical Eulerian stationary model

The tradition in tritium washout modeling is to unite the washout model with a Gaussian plume model describing dispersion of tritium vapour in the atmosphere. In the present study, an alternative approach is proposed. A numerical Eulerian model that describes washout independently of dispersion is developed.The sensitivity analysis to model parameters has shown that the washout process is influenced most significantly by rainfall parameters and air temperature: different raindrop size distributions cause differences of up to about 70% in the washout outputs; a change of 15 °C in the air temperature causes an effect of about 50%.Results are presented showing calculated values of washout outputs (tritium concentration in rain, tritium downward flux, washout coefficient) for different tritium vapour profiles, rainfall rates and air temperatures. The general conclusion is that the washout process is too complex to be described comprehensively by the simple washout coefficient concept. We suggest the approach proposed here for directly calculating the tritium downward flux and concentration in the rainwater is preferable.     

Development and validation of a dynamical atmosphere-vegetation-soil HTO transport and OBT formation model

A numerical model simulating transport of tritiated water (HTO) in atmosphere-soil-vegetation system, and, accumulation of organically bound tritium (OBT) in vegetative leaves was developed. Characteristic of the model is, for calculating tritium transport, it incorporates a dynamical atmosphere-soil-vegetation model (SOLVEG-II) that calculates transport of heat and water, and, exchange of CO₂. The processes included for calculating tissue free water tritium (TFWT) in leaves are HTO exchange between canopy air and leaf cellular water, root uptake of aqueous HTO in soil, photosynthetic assimilation of TFWT into OBT, and, TFWT formation from OBT through respiration. Tritium fluxes at the last two processes are input to a carbohydrate compartment model in leaves that calculates OBT translocation from leaves and allocation in them, by using photosynthesis and respiration rate in leaves. The developed model was then validated through a simulation of an existing experiment of acute exposure of grape plants to atmospheric HTO. Calculated TFWT concentration in leaves increased soon after the start of HTO exposure, reaching to equilibrium with the atmospheric HTO within a few hours, and then rapidly decreased after the end of the exposure. Calculated non-exchangeable OBT amount in leaves linearly increased during the exposure, and after the exposure, rapidly decreased in daytime, and, moderately nighttime. These variations in the calculated TFWT concentrations and OBT amounts, each mainly controlled by HTO exchange between canopy air and leaf cellular water and by carbohydrates translocation from leaves, fairly agreed with the observations within average errors of a factor of two.