Plutonium and cesium radionuclides in the Hudson River Estuary and other environments. Annual technical progress report, 1 December 1977--30 November 1978

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6804034· OSTI ID:6804034

Simpson, H. J.; Trier, R. M.

Radionuclide activities were measured in a large number of sediment cores and suspended particle samples throughout the salinity range of the Hudson River estuary. Activities of /sup 137/Cs, /sup 134/Cs, and /sup 60/Co determined by gamma spectrometry and /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu and /sup 238/Pu determined by alpha spectrometry indicate reasonably rapid accumulation rates in the sediments of marginal cove areas, and very rapid deposition in the harbor region adjacent to New York City. General distributions of /sup 137/Cs and /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu are similar in surface sediments and with depth in cores, but there are deviations from the fallout ratio due to (1) addition of reactor /sup 137/Cs and (2) loss of /sup 137/Cs from the particle phases at higher salinities. Measurable amounts of reactor-derived /sup 134/Cs and /sup 60/Co are found in nearly all sediment samples containing appreciable /sup 137/Cs between 15 Km upstream of Indian Point and 70 Km south of the reactor. Accumulations of /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu in New York harbor sediments are more than an order of magnitude greater than the fallout delivery rate. Depth profiles of radionuclides and variations of activities with particle size at low salinities in the Hudson indicate the importance of organic phases, including large flocculent particles greater than 180..mu.., in binding plutonium, and no evidence of significant chemical migration within the sediments. Measurements of water column fallout /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu in a saline lake with a high carbonate ion concentration yielded activities about two orders of magnitude greater than has been found for fallout plutonium in other continental waters, indicating extensive mobility in some natural water environments.

• Research Organization: Columbia Univ., Palisades, NY (USA). Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-S-02-2529
• OSTI ID: 6804034
• Report Number(s): COO-2529-10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 134
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTUARIES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HUDSON RIVER
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POWER PLANTS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES