Integrating the theory of sampling into a nuclear forensic investigation.

We present a study case where the theory of sampling (TOS) is used to make defensible inferences in a nuclear forensic investigation. The forensic investigations focused on five suspicious radioactive materials seized in 2019. All errors introduced by sampling and sub-sampling the radioactive materials are evaluated according to TOS. A maximum sampling error of 35% was tolerated. The uses of TOS enabled the forensic team to make inferences about the seized materials and therefore make confidence-based statements about the exceeding of limits established in the Swiss Radiological Protection Ordinance for radioactive substances. The analysis of the isotope and activity ratios allowed the team to exclude some potential sources of the radioactive contamination; however, it was not possible to determine its origin precisely.

High-resolution records of cesium, plutonium, americium, and uranium isotopes in sediment cores from Swiss lakes.

The Aare river system in Switzerland, with two nuclear power plants on the banks of the river, and its intermediate lakes and reservoirs, provides a unique opportunity to analyze the contribution of different sources to the radioactive contamination. Sediment cores were collected from two lakes and a reservoir, all connected by the river Aare. In order to study the influence of the Chernobyl accident, one sediment core was collected from a lake in the southern part of Switzerland. The sediment cores were sliced and analyzed with gamma ray spectrometry. Plutonium, americium, and uranium were extracted radiochemically, and their concentrations were measured with a sector field ICP-MS. The uranium isotope ratios were further measured with a multi collector ICP-MS. The maximum 137Cs activity from the Chernobyl accident and the Pu and 137Cs activities associated to the 1963 global fallout maximum were well identified in sediments from all three lakes. High-resolution records of plutonium isotopes in the zone of the sediments corresponding to the period of maximum fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapon testing showed distinct fingerprints, depending on the different test activities. Pu isotope ratios could be used to detect non-global fallout plutonium. The ratio 241Am/241Pu was used to determine the age of the plutonium. Despite of very low 241Pu and 241Am concentrations, the calculated plutonium production dates seemed to be reasonable for the sediment layers corresponding to the NWT tests. The calculated production date of the plutonium in the upper most 15 cm of the sediment core seemed to be younger. The reason for this could be additional non-global fallout plutonium. For the lake sediments, natural ratios for 235U/238U and enriched or depleted ratios for 234U/238U were measured, depending on the lake. A small increase of the 236U/238U ratio could be recognized for the NWT zone in all three lakes and, for Lake Lugano, a further distinct increase in the Chernobyl layer.

Plutonium in coral archives: A good primary marker for an Anthropocene type section.

While we officially live in the Holocene epoch, global warming and many other impacts of global change have led to the proposal and wide adoption of the Anthropocene to define the present geological epoch. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) established that it should be treated as a formal stratigraphic unit, demonstrated by a reference level commonly known as "golden spike", still under discussion. Here we show that the onset of bomb-derived plutonium recorded in two banded massive corals from the Caribbean Sea is consistent (1955-1956 CE), so sites far from nuclear testing grounds are potentially suitable to host a type section of the Anthropocene. Coastal coral demonstration sites are feasible, could foster economic development, and may serve as focal points for scientific dissemination and environmental education.

210Pb and 137Cs as tracers of recent sedimentary processes in two water reservoirs in Cuba.

Hanabanilla and Paso Bonito Reservoirs are the main fresh water sources for about half a million inhabitants in central Cuba. Prior to this investigation precise information about the losses of storage capacity was not available. Sedimentation is the dominant process leading to reduction in water storage capacity. We investigated the sedimentation process in both reservoirs by analyzing environmental radionuclides (e.g. 210Pb, 226Ra and 137Cs) in sediment cores. In the shallow Paso Bonito Reservoir (mean depth of 6.5 m; water volume of 8 × 106 m3), we estimated a mean mass accumulation rate (MAR) of 0.4 ± 0.1 g cm-2y-1 based on 210Pb chronologies. 137Cs was detected in the sediments, but due to the recent construction of this reservoir (1975), it was not possible to use it to validate the 210Pb chronologies. The estimated MAR in this reservoir is higher than the typical values reported in similar shallow fresh water reservoirs worldwide. Our results highlight a significant loss of water storage capacity during the past 30 years. In the deeper and larger Hanabanilla Reservoir (mean depth of 15.5 m; water volume of 292 × 106 m3), the MAR was investigated in three different sites of the reservoir. The mean MARs based on the 210Pb chronologies varied between 0.15 and 0.24 g cm-2y-1. The MARs calculated based on the 137Cs profiles further validated these values. We show that the sediment accumulation did not change significantly over the last 50 years. A simple empirical mixing and sedimentation model that assumes 137Cs in the water originated from both, direct atmospheric fallout and the catchment area, was applied to interpret the 137Cs depth profiles. The model consistently reproduced the measured 137Cs profiles in the three cores (R2 > 0.9). Mean residence times for 137Cs in the water and in the catchment area of 1 y and 35-50 y, respectively were estimated. The model identified areas where the catchment component was higher, zones with higher erosion in the catchment, and sites where the fallout component was quantitatively recorded in the sediments.