Cycling of transuranic radionuclides in the Columbia River, its estuary, and the North Pacific Ocean. Progress report, February 1, 1978--February 15, 1979
Progress from February 1978 through January 1979 on the measurement of radionuclides in the Columbia River and its estuary, with principal emphasis on plutonium isotopes is reported. The goal is to budget the inventory of transuranic radionuclides in the Columbia River system below the Hanford Complex and to estimate the amounts of Pu and Am being carried to the Northeast Pacific Ocean by the river. The results to date have led to conclusions of some importance to the Department of Energy. These are as follows: (1) previously published data on the concentrations of plutonium in McNary reservoir are incorrect. The reported analyses show Pu concentrations significantly lower than those reported by Battelle; (2) sedimentation rates in McNary reservoir do not appear to be as high as those estimated by previous workers. Using Pu and /sup 137/Cs subsurface maxima and /sup 238/ /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu ratios, it is concluded that the sedimentation rates in the lower portion of McNary reservoir near the Oregon shore are between 4 and 5 cm/yr and decrease dramatically as the Washington shore is approached. Sedimentation rates at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River and at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia are about 2 cm/yr; (3) in the Columbia River estuary where fine sediments are accumulating at a rate of about 3 to 4 cm/yr, plutonium does not appear to be migrating from depth toward the surface.; (4) evidence suggests that the contribution of the eight plutonium production reactors to the integrated plutonium inventory of Columbia River sediments is small; (5) a surprising fraction of the plutonium in Columbia River water is not retained by 0.3..mu.. millipore filters; and (6) in certain regions Columbia River sediments contain rather high mean plutonium loads (mCi/km/sup 2/). Each of these topics is discussed as well as the results of participation in both national and international quality control and intercalibration exercises. (ERB)
- Research Organization:
- Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA). School of Oceanography
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-S-06-2227-030
- OSTI ID:
- 6032000
- Report Number(s):
- RLO-2227/T30-2; TRN: 79-017185
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Cycling of transuranic radionuclides in the Columbia River, it's estuary, and the North Pacific Ocean. Progress report, 1 May 1977--31 January 1978. [Details of interlaboratory comparisons of calibration standards and quality assurance procedures to be used in the investigation]
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Related Subjects
AMERICIUM
RADIATION MONITORING
CESIUM 137
COLUMBIA RIVER
PLUTONIUM
DATA COMPILATION
DIAGRAMS
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEDIMENTATION
SEDIMENTS
TABLES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
DATA
DATA FORMS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
MONITORING
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
520300* - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1989)