Liquid scintillation counter for measuring environmental tritium and radiocarbon

大气中的天然和人为（热核）氚和放射性碳是水文循环中极好的示踪剂。现代地下水的循环速率可以通过补给过程中从大气中吸收的氚的衰变来测量（T½ = 12.3 年）。放射性碳（T½ = 5730 年）是地下水以及古气候指标（包括洞穴沉积物和有机物质）的测年工具。通常通过使用液体闪烁计数器 (LSC) 计算放射性衰变来测量这些重要的示踪剂。该提案旨在购买 LSC 以支持环境和地球资源研究，包括：通过永久冻土层的地下水循环为北极鲑鱼产卵栖息地提供水源、污染物通过流域的移动、北部的矿产勘探以及深层基岩中放射性废物的掩埋。该 LSC 还将用于筛选氚样品，通过子体 3He 在我们的氦同位素质谱仪上的向内生长，我们可以将氚样品测量到非常低的检测限。

Natural and anthropogenic (thermonuclear) tritium and radiocarbon from the atmosphere are excellent tracers in the hydrological cycle. The rate of circulation of modern groundwater can be measured by the decay of tritium (T½ = 12.3 years) which is incorporated from the atmosphere during recharge. Radiocarbon (T½ = 5730 years) is a dating tool for groundwaters as well as paleoclimate indicators including cave deposits and organic material. Measuring these important tracers is routinely done by counting radioactive decay with a liquid scintillation counter (LSC). This proposal is to purchase a LSC to support environmental and Earth resources research including: groundwater circulation through permafrost that feeds salmon spawning habitat in the Arctic, the movement of contaminants through watersheds, mineral exploration in the north, and the burial of radioactive waste in deep bedrock. This LSC will also be used to screen tritium samples that we can measure to very low detection limits by ingrowth of the daughter, 3He, on our helium isotope mass spectrometer.