Determination of plutonium isotopes in seawater samples by Semiconductor Alpha Spectrometry, ICP-MS and AMS techniques

Abstract

Analysis of plutonium isotopes by Semiconductor Alpha Spectrometry (SAS), ICP-sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) was carried out in seawater samples collected from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean (nuclear waste dumping sites) and Northwest Pacific Ocean. No particularly elevated levels of the atom ratios of 240Pu/239Pu compared to global fallout ratio (0.18) were found in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean seawater samples. The higher levels of atom ratios of 240Pu/ 239Pu were found in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. This is mainly due to contribution from the local fallout from nuclear weapon tests carried out at the Pacific Proving Grounds at the Marshall Islands.