The Content and Speciation of Radionuclides in Water and Bottom Sediments of the Laptev Sea

• Published in: Geochemistry international Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 285 - 292
• Main Authors: Goryachenkova, T. A., Travkina, A. V., Borisov, A. P., Solovyova, G. Y., Kazinskaya, I. E., Ligaev, A. N., Novikov, A. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-03-2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Bottom sediments; Caesium 137; Cesium 137; Cesium isotopes; Cesium radioisotopes; Cores; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geochemistry; Humic acid; Humic acids; Humic substances; Isotopes; Lead isotopes; Nuclear energy; Nuclear fuel cycle; Plutonium; Plutonium isotopes; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide kinetics; Sediment; Sediment samples; Sedimentation rates; Sediments; Sediments (Geology); Speciation; Laptev Sea; organic matters; radionuclides; bottom sediments; speciation
• ISSN: 0016-7029; 1556-1968
• DOI: 10.1134/S0016702923030060

—This paper examines the distribution of
137
Cs and plutonium isotopes in the modern sediments collected from different parts of the Laptev Sea during cruises of the R/V
Academik Mstislav Keldysh
in 2017 and 2019. It was found that the
137
Cs activity in water and sediments is within the global background level, which is typical for the Arctic seas. In all collected samples, the specific content of
239,240
Pu isotopes is below the detection level. According to the results of isotope analysis of excess
210
Pb, the sedimentation rates in two cores sampled in the Laptev Sea are 0.18 and 0.23 cm/year. The speciation of
239
Pu introduced in samples of bottom sediments under laboratory conditions was analyzed by several methods. It was shown that the most part of
239
Pu is associated with weakly dissolved organo-mineral components. 30–39%
239
Pu were found in the organic easily soluble acids and humic substances, which include fulvic and humic acids of bottom sediments.