Determination and Assessment of Transuranic Isotopes (Pu, Np, Am) Activities and Isotopes Ratios in Antarctic Marine Sediments
Determination and Assessment of Transuranic Isotopes (Pu, Np, Am) Activities and Isotopes Ratios in Antarctic Marine Sediments
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DOI:
10.1021/acsearthspacechem.1c00314
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发表时间:
2021-11
影响因子:
3.4
通讯作者:
Xibin Han;Xiaoxiao Han;Zhihong Li;Zhiyong Liu;Yongcong Zhang;Liangming Hu
中科院分区:
文献类型:
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作者:
Xibin Han;Xiaoxiao Han;Zhihong Li;Zhiyong Liu;Yongcong Zhang;Liangming Hu
Due to the nuclear testing in the 20th century, a considerable amount of anthropogenic transuranic isotopes (237Np,239, 240Pu, and241Am) was produced, spread, and deposited in the natural environment including Antarctica. Here, activities of239+240Pu,237Np, and241Am in Antarctic marine sediments are determined by ICP-SF-MS, ranging from 0.008 to 0.293 Bq/kg for239+240Pu, from 0.057 to 0.926 mBq/kg for237Np, and from 0.027 to 0.277 Bq/kg for241Am. The dominant source of237Np,239, 240Pu, and241Am in the study marine sediments is global fallout.240Pu/239Pu atom ratio is measured to be 0.179 ± 0.010 (n= 17) on average, which is consistent with the global fallout of the nuclear weapons tests. Average237Np/239Pu atom ratio for global fallout is suggested as 0.221 (n= 58), which may be used as a new characteristic index to indicate the current source of Np in a certain region. Due to the different fractionations of Pu and Am by seawater and the enrichment efficiency of marine particles,241Am/239+240Pu activity ratios in these samples (mean, 2.037 ± 0.040;n= 17) are much higher than global fallout. In addition,237Np/239Pu atom ratio and241Am/239+240Pu activity ratio are found to be positively correlated with the sampling depth. Furthermore, the correlation between organic matter and eight heavy metals with transuranic activities is revealed. The cold climate, latitude, and sediment properties have an important influence on the distributions of Np, Pu, and Am in these marine sediments of Antarctic.