Pu/Cs ratios in the water column of the North Pacific: a proxy of biogeochemical processes

Anthropogenic radionuclides in seawater have been used as transient tracers of processes in the marine environment. Especially, plutonium in seawater is considered to be a valuable tracer of biogeochemical processes due to its particle-reactive properties. However, its behavior in the ocean is also affected by physical processes such as advection, mixing and diffusion. Here we introduce Pu/¹³⁷Cs ratio as a proxy of biogeochemical processes and discuss its trends in the water column of the North Pacific Ocean. We observed that the ^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs ratio in seawater exponentially increased with increasing depth (depth range: 100–1000 m). This finding suggests that the profiles of the ^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs ratios in shallower waters directly reflect biogeochemical processes in the water column. A half-regeneration depth deduced from the curve fitting the observed data, showed latitudinal and longitudinal distributions, also related to biogeochemical processes in the water column.     

Determination of U, Pu and Am isotopes in Irish Sea sediment by a combination of AMS and radiometric methods

Samples from a marine sediment core from the Irish Sea (54.416 N, 3.563 W) were analyzed for the isotopic composition of uranium, plutonium and americium by a combination of radiometric methods and AMS. The radiochemical procedure consisted of a Pu separation step by anion exchange, subsequent U separation by extraction chromatography using UTEVA^® and finally Am separation with TRU^® Resin.Additionally to radiometric determination of these isotopes by alpha spectrometry, the separated samples were also used for the determination of ²³⁶U/²³⁸U and plutonium isotope ratios by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) at the VERA facility.     

An investigation on biological stability of product water generated by lab-scale and pilot-scale distillation systems

Material Disposal Area G is the primary low-levelradioactive waste disposal site at Los Alamos NationalLaboratory, New Mexico, and is adjacent to Pueblo of SanIldefonso lands. Pueblo residents and Los Alamos scientists areconcerned about radiological doses resulting from uptake of AreaG radionuclides by mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) andRocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus), then consumption ofdeer and elk meat by humans. Tissue samples were collected fromdeer and elk accidentally killed near Area G and were analyzedfor ³H, ⁹⁰Sr, total U, ²³⁸Pu, ^{239, 240}Pu,²⁴¹Am, and ¹³⁷Cs. These data were used to estimatehuman doses based on meat consumption of 23 kg y^-1. Humandoses were also modeled using RESRAD, and dose rates to deer andelk were estimated with a screening model. Dose estimates tohumans from tissue consumption were 2.9 × 10^-3 mSv y^-1and 1.6 × 10^-3 mSv y^-1 from deer and elk, respectively,and RESRAD dose estimates were of the same order of magnitude. Estimated dose rates to deer and elk were 2.1 × 10^-4 mGyd^-1 and 4.7 × 10^-4 mGy d^-1, respectively. Allestimated doses were significantly less than established exposurelimits or guidelines.     

云南普洱6.4级地震震害分析

2007年6月3日云南普洱发生6.4级地震,震源深度仅5km。地震对当地各类建筑物和构筑物造成不同程度的破坏。本文根据此次地震现场调研,介绍了地震烈度分布与震区破坏等级划分,归纳了土木、砖木、砖混、框架结构房屋等建筑结构的震害情况,同时对供排水、交通、电力、通讯系统及水利工程等基础设施的破坏状况加以概括,并对各类结构的破坏原因进行了分类分析。总结了此次地震的震害特点,提出了未来村镇防震减灾工作的若干建议。     

Plutonium isotopes in surface air of Prague in 1986–2006

Monitoring of ^239,240Pu in surface air of Prague started in 1986 in connection with the Chernobyl accident. Measurable activities of 10–28 μBq m⁻³ were found from 29 April 1986 to 5 May 1986. In the most of the monitoring periods of 1987–1996, activities of ^239,240Pu in air were not measurable. Positive values for ^239,240Pu and ²³⁸Pu in air could be obtained after installation of an aerosol sampler with higher flow-rate in 1997. Activity concentrations of ^239,240Pu and ²³⁸Pu in Prague air in the most of quarters of 1997–2006 were in the range 0.53–5.06 and <0.16–1.10 nBq m⁻³, respectively. Seasonal fluctuations can be found in content of ^239,240Pu in air. Activity ratios of ²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu in air are higher than those in top soil, so it can be supposed that ²³⁸Pu is coming to air of Prague also from other sources than resuspension of fallout from atmospheric nuclear tests.     

Radionuclides in pinon pine (Pinus edulis) nuts from los alamos national laboratory lands and the dose from consumption

Abstract

One of the dominant tree species growing within and around the eastern portion of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM, lands is the pinon pine (Pinus edulis). Pinon pine is used for firewood, fence posts, and building materials and is a source of nuts for food—the seeds are consumed by a wide variety of animals and are also gathered by people in the area and eaten raw or roasted. This study investigated the (1) concentration of ³H, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, ^totU, ²³⁸Pu, ^{239, 240}Pu, and²⁴¹ Am in soils (0‐ to 12‐in. [31 cm] depth underneath the tree), pinon pine shoots (PPS), and pinon pine nuts (PPN) collected from LANL lands and regional background (BG) locations, (2) committed effective dose equivalent (CEDE) from the ingestion of nuts, and (3) soil to PPS to PPN concentration ratios (CRs). Most radionuclides, with the exception of ³H in soils, were not significantly higher (p < 0.10) in soils, PPS, and PPN collected from LANL as compared to BG locations, and concentrations of most radionuclides in PPN from LANL have decreased over time. The maximum net CEDE (the CEDE plus two sigma minus BG) at the most conservative ingestion rate (10 lb [4.5 kg]) was 0.0018 mrem (0.018 μSv); this is far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (all pathway) permissible dose limit of 100 mrem (1000 μSv). Soil‐to‐nut CRs for most radionuclides were within the range of default values in the literature for common fruits and vegetables.     

Characterization of Pu concentration and its isotopic composition in soils of Gansu in northwestern China

The total ^239+240Pu activities and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in surface soil samples (0–5 cm) in the Kumtag Desert in western Gansu Province, and in a soil core sample in Lanzhou were investigated using a sector-field ICP-MS. In the surface soil samples, ^239+240Pu activities in fine particles (<150 μm) were 1.3–2.1 times of those in coarse particles (150 μm–1 mm) which ranged from 0.005 to 0.157 mBq/g. Atom ratios of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu in the surface soils ranged from 0.168 to 0.192 with a mean of 0.182 ± 0.008. The mean ratio was similar to the typical global fallout value although the Kumtag Desert was believed to have received close-in fallout derived from Chinese nuclear weapons tests mainly conducted in the 1970s. Furthermore, the mean ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio observed in the soil core sample in Lanzhou was similar to the typical global fallout value. In the soil core sample, ^239+240Pu activities in the various layers ranged from 0.012 to 0.23 mBq/g, and the inventory of ^239+240Pu (32.4 Bq/m², 0–23 cm) was slightly lower than that expected from global fallout (42 Bq/m²) at the same latitude. Rapid downward migration of Pu isotopes was observed in Lanzhou soil core sample layers. The contribution of the 10-cm deep top layers of surface soils to total inventory was only 17%, while the contribution of deeper layers (10–23 cm) was as high as 83%. The ^239+240Pu activity levels and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in soils in Gansu Province, China are similar to those in atmospheric deposition samples collected in the spring in recent years in Japan.     

我国陆地表层土壤的238Pu水平和溯源分析

基于我国陆地表层土壤样品中²³⁸Pu本底水平数据缺少的问题,分析了采自全国多个地区陆地表层土壤样品中²³⁸Pu的比活度.结果表明,我国陆地表层土壤样品中²³⁸Pu比活度很低,范围在0.007~0.045Bq/kg,²³⁸Pu/^239+240Pu活度比范围为0.032~0.041,这些数值均与周边国家和中纬度地区的报道值接近.根据二元模型对我国陆地表层土壤的²³⁸Pu来源进行分析,结果表明我国表层土壤样品中²³⁸Pu主要来源于核试验的全球沉降和SNAP-9A的沉降.     

239+240Pu作为湖泊沉积物计年时标:以云南程海为例

在近代沉积作用领域137Cs时标与210Pb计年结合,获得了广泛而有效的应用.然而,137Cs经过两个半衰期的衰变已难于辩识.环境中的Pu核素具有相对较长的半衰期,也随全球大气扩散而散落于地球表面,可望作为沉积计年的时间标志.通过程海沉积物柱芯中239+240Pu比活度、240Pu/239Pu原子比率及校正到沉积年代的...     

中国大陆土壤中239+240Pu的来源与背景值研究

利用现有大量实测的¹³⁷Cs背景值数据,根据北半球大气沉降¹³⁷Cs/^239+240Pu活度比值32.5（¹³⁷Cs活度校正到2005年）,将中国大陆土壤中¹³⁷Cs转换成对应的^239+240Pu,类比中国大陆¹³⁷Cs-RI模型（¹³⁷Cs-RI MCM）,利用克里金插值方法模拟中国大陆土壤中Pu-RI的空间分布.目前中国大陆土壤中实测^239+240Pu的沉积通量范围在7.3~546 Bq/m²之间,模拟Pu-RI的范围在3~812 Bq/m²之间,并且最大值出现的地点与模拟最大Pu-RI可能出现的区域基本一致,¹³⁷Cs-RI MCM模型对中国大陆土壤中Pu-RI的模拟具有可行性.由于¹³⁷Cs与^239+240Pu沉降的不均匀性,根据中国土壤实测¹³⁷Cs/^239+240Pu的活度比可知,局部区域Pu-RI模拟值可能有偏差.为了更好的说明¹³⁷Cs-RI MCM模型的可行性,本研究利用30~40°N之间中国62个城市位点的^239+240Pu湿沉降通量（I_湿沉降）与相应Pu-RI的值（I_总沉降）进行了比较,发现I_湿沉降和I_总沉降的理论计算均是合理的.