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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
12:22

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films

Published on: November 9, 2015

Using fallout plutonium as a probe for erosion assessment.

W T Hoo1, L K Fifield, S G Tims

  • 1Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. u4347377@anu.edu.au

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
|July 20, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fallout plutonium (Pu) from nuclear tests helps track soil erosion. Much of the Cotter catchment lost less than 1cm of soil, but some areas experienced significant topsoil loss.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Geomorphology
  • Radiochemistry

Background:

  • Atmospheric nuclear weapons testing released plutonium (Pu) globally.
  • The lower Cotter catchment experienced a major bushfire in 2003.
  • Understanding recent erosion is crucial for water supply catchments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate fallout plutonium as a tracer for recent soil erosion.
  • To quantify soil loss in the lower Cotter catchment post-1960s.
  • To assess erosion dynamics in a bushfire-affected pine plantation catchment.

Main Methods:

  • Soil samples were collected across the catchment.
  • Accelerator mass spectrometry was used to measure plutonium concentrations.
  • Pu-239/Pu-240 concentrations in soil were analyzed to estimate soil redistribution.

Main Results:

  • Most of the catchment showed minimal soil loss (<1 cm) since the 1960s.
  • Areas with highly erodible soils lost 2-4 cm of topsoil.
  • One site exhibited substantial soil loss, approximately 6 cm.

Conclusions:

  • Fallout plutonium is an effective tool for quantifying recent soil erosion.
  • Erosion rates vary significantly within the catchment, linked to soil erodibility.
  • The study provides critical data on soil loss in a post-bushfire environment.