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Distribution studies of plutonium in the Great Lakes

Conference ·
OSTI ID:4054942

The distribution of residual fallout plutonium in Lake Michigan between water and various trophic levels of the food chain has been studied. Concurrent measurements of the conservative fallout radioisotope $sup 90$Sr in the water column are used to estimate the cumulative fallout deposition on Lake Michigan; these data indicate that ca 97 percent of the fallout $sup 239$Pu (and ca 94 percent of the fallout $sup 137$Cs) presently constitute a sediment reservoir pool. The results of analyses of comparison samples of water, plankton, and fish indicate that the residual fallout $sup 239$Pu remaining in the water column has attained a consistent physicochemical form in all 5 Great Lakes.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL; Missouri Univ., Columbia (USA). Coll. of Engineering
NSA Number:
NSA-33-023276
OSTI ID:
4054942
Report Number(s):
CONF-740701--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English