Radioactive cesium isotope ratios as a tool for determining dispersal and re-dispersal mechanisms downwind from the Nevada Nuclear Security Site

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
Darin C SnyderJohn E Olson

Abstract

Fractionation of the two longer-lived radioactive cesium isotopes ((135)Cs and (137)Cs) produced by above ground nuclear tests have been measured and used to clarify the dispersal mechanisms of cesium deposited in the area between the Nevada Nuclear Security Site and Lake Mead in the southwestern United States. Fractionation of these isotopes is due to the 135-decay chain requiring several days to completely decay to (135)Cs, and the 137-decay chain less than one hour decay to (137)Cs. Since the Cs precursors are gases, iodine and xenon, the (135)Cs plume was deposited farther downwind than the (137)Cs plume. Sediment core samples were obtained from the Las Vegas arm of Lake Mead, sub-sampled and analyzed for (135)Cs/(137)Cs ratios by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The layers proved to have nearly identical highly fractionated isotope ratios. This information is consistent with a model where the cesium was initially deposited onto the land area draining into Lake Mead and the composite from all of the above ground shots subsequently washed onto Lake Mead by high intensity rain and wind storms producing a layering of Cs activity, where each layer is a portion of the composite.

References

Aug 25, 2005·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·A Ioannidou, C Papastefanou
Aug 29, 2006·Applied Radiation and Isotopes : Including Data, Instrumentation and Methods for Use in Agriculture, Industry and Medicine·D E Di GregorioG Curutchet
Apr 5, 2007·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·P BossewM Gastberger
Apr 10, 2007·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Victoria Putyrskaya, Eckehard Klemt
Dec 29, 2007·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Hirofumi TsukadaJiro Inaba
Aug 6, 2011·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·James E DelmoreNick R Mann

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Citations

Jan 19, 2016·Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry : RCM·Mathew S SnowJames E Delmore
Oct 18, 2015·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Ž EžerinskisV Remeikis
Sep 9, 2015·Analytica Chimica Acta·B C RussellPhil E Warwick
Jun 25, 2015·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Mathew S SnowDarin C Snyder
Jul 22, 2019·Journal of Environmental Radioactivity·Mathew S SnowDarin Snyder

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