Plutonium Isotopes Research in the Marine Environment: A synthesis

Abstract

Plutonium (Pu) isotopes are one of most important artificial radionuclides. Recent advances in analytical methodology of Pu have enabled Pu to play a vital role in tracing biogenic elements and pollutants transport, sediment deposition/resuspension and other marine process. The various ratios of Pu isotopes ( 238 Pu, 239 Pu, 240 Pu and 241 Pu), which are depende nt on the Pu sources, are useful for identifying the contributions from different sources, and these ratios can be utilized to indicate the marine processes. The aim of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the applications of Pu for studying various processes in the marine environment, such as the determination of recent sedimentation rate, to assess sediment transport and deposition/resuspension, water mass transport, etc, based on the knowledge and advances in the analytical methodology and the geochemical behavior of Pu. Furthermore, this work is expected to provide new insights for broadening the application of Pu in the marine environment and to help better understand land-sea interactions and global climate change.

Study on Legal Issues Related to the Impact of Nuclear Pollution on the Marine Environment and Compensation

“…Globally speaking, since most nuclear factories and test sites are located in the northern hemisphere, the radioactivity level in the ocean of the northern hemisphere is higher than that of the southern hemisphere, while the radionuclide content decreases gradually with the increase of water depth in the vertical distribution; In 2000, the activities of 137Cs and 90Sr in ocean surface water were 2Bq / L. [2] However, due to the impact of nuclear facility discharge and nuclear accident, the nuclear pollution in some sea areas was significant, resulting in the activities of 137Cs and 90Sr in some marginal sea water bodies reaching tens of Baker per liter. By measuring the content of 137Cs in seawater, some foreign experts found that, under the influence of BNFL nuclear fuel company in the northeast of the Irish sea, the content closest to the sewage outlet was hundreds of times higher than that at the sea inlet.…”

Assessment of the input of particulate 239,240Pu and 137Cs from the Neman River into the Curonian Lagoon

“…Leaching by rainfall flows and erosion processes initiate the transfer of 239,240 Pu with river waters from the entire catchment to the river mouth. The migration of soil particles ensures the transport of plutonium from watersheds to bottom sediments in coastal regions and estuaries [5]. For example, the contribution of plutonium from the global fallout to the Yellow River has been estimated to be 21±7×10 9 Bq/yr, with an average plutonium inventory in soil of 57±25 Bq/m 2 [6].…”