Plutonium and cesium radionuclides in the Hudson River Estuary. Annual technical progress report, 1 December 1975--30 November 1976

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7259269· OSTI ID:7259269

Simpson, H J; Williams, S C

We have obtained a large set of cores from the Hudson Estuary covering nearly all of the ambient salinity range. A number of core sections have been analyzed for /sup 137/Cs, /sup 134/Cs, /sup 60/Co and /sup 40/K by direct gamma counting and for /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu and /sup 238/Pu by alpha-spectrometry. Rapid accumulation, up to 20 cm/year, of sediments containing /sup 239/,/sup 240/Pu, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 134/Cs and /sup 60/Co occurs in New York Harbor. Marginal coves upstream from the harbor also serve as depositional environments. The ratio of sediment /sup 239,240/Pu to /sup 137/Cs is higher than the fallout ratio in the seaward end of New York Harbor, despite the presence of a significant component of reactor /sup 137/Cs in the sediments, but lower than the range of ratios observed by others for nearshore environments with low sediment deposition rates. A substantial portion of gamma emitting fission product and activation nuclides released from the Indian Point nuclear facility have accumulated in New York Harbor, more than 60 km downstream from the release area. We have not yet established whether local transuranic releases to the Hudson have occurred.

• Research Organization: Columbia Univ., Palisades, N.Y. (USA). Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory
• OSTI ID: 7259269
• Report Number(s): COO-2529-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520300* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 134
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT 60
COBALT ISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
ESTUARIES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSION PRODUCTS
GAMMA RADIATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HUDSON RIVER
INDIAN POINT-1 REACTOR
INDIAN POINT-2 REACTOR
INDIAN POINT-3 REACTOR
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
POWER REACTORS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
REACTORS
RIVERS
SEDIMENTS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMAL REACTORS
USA
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES