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Published on: October 26, 2019
Accumulation of anthropogenic radionuclides in cryoconites on Alpine glaciers
A Tieber1, H Lettner, P Bossew
1Division of Physics and Biophysics, University of Salzburg, Department of Materials Engineering and Physiks, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria. alexandra.tieber@sbg.ac.at
Abstract:
Cryoconites are airborne sediments which accumulate on the surface of glaciers. In samples of cryoconites a temperate Austrian glacier high activity concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides were found, which stem from global and Chernobyl fallouts. Radionuclides identified were (137)Cs, (134)Cs, (238)Pu, (239+240)Pu, (90)Sr, (241)Am, (60)Co, (154)Eu, (207)Bi, and (125)Sb. Given the approximately known isotopic ratios, Cs and Pu can be separated into the contributions of either source of origin. Published (137)Cs/(134)Cs and (239+240)Pu/(238)Pu ratios were used for the discrimination of the Dachstein-glacier cryoconites according to their origin from global or Chernobyl fallout. Two different groups of cryoconites were identified, an older population dominated by nuclear weapons fallout and a younger one with predominant Chernobyl fallout. With those data a simple model was formulated to demonstrate the transition and mixing of these two populations on the glacier surface.
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