STUDIES OF NUCLEAR DEBRIS IN PRECIPITATION. Summary Report. Progress Report No. 7

Technical Report · Tue Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4790617

Walton, A; Fried, R E

A summary report was prepared from the studles of nuclear debris in precipitation samples at Westwood, New Jersey. Particular attention is also given to descriptlons of the methods of collection and to the radiochemical procedures used for the assay of certain radionuclides such as Sr/sup 90/ Sr/sup 89/ W/sup 185/ Ce/sup 144/, Ba/sup 140/ and Pu. the depostion of Sr/sup 90/ in precipitation for the period 1957-61 is discussed. Spring peaks in the Sr/sup 90/ concentrations in precipitation are clearly visible each year. The 196l peak was found to be as high as in 1960 and with th increased rainfall at Westwood, New Jersey the actual eposition of Sr00 activity was greater in the spring of l96 than in the spring of 1960. Some comments on the concept of stratospheric residence times and the dangers i erent in making such calculations from the observatlons t one ground-level station are presented. lsotope ratio results such as Ba/sup 140/Sr/sup 90/, Ce/sup 144/ Sr/sup 90/, and W/sup 185/Sr/sup 90/ were used to determine the age and origin of debris over the time interval 1958--l960. An inverse correlation between Sr/sup 90/ concentrations and the amount of precipitation in lndlvidual storms was observed and the implications of this finding were discussed. (auth)

• Research Organization: Isotopes, Inc., Westwood, N.J.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-011976
• OSTI ID: 4790617
• Report Number(s): NYO-9530
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BARIUM 140
CERIUM 144
DETECTION
FALLOUT
FISSION PRODUCTS
GEOPHYSICS
HEALTH AND SAFETY
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
LEVELS
MATHEMATICS
PLUTONIUM
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOCHEMISTRY
RADIOISOTOPES
RAIN
SAFETY
SAMPLING
STRATOSPHERE
STRONTIUM 89
STRONTIUM 90
TUNGSTEN 185
WIND