Abstract
The isotopic composition of plutonium in dated Sun Moon Lake sediments was determined by mass spectrometry in an effort to trace the source(s) and timing of nuclear fallout in Taiwan. The (superscript 240)Pu/(superscript 239)Pu ratios in the sediment core vary by a factor of＞5, with the highest ratio, 0.22, corresponding to the maximum level of nuclear fallout in 1963 and the lowest ratios, 0.04-0.06, being identified at two time horizons: 1982-83 and 1992-93. At other depth intervals, the (superscript 240)Pu/(superscript 239)Pu ratios fall within 0.15-0.19. The data indicate that global fallout from the stratosphere is the dominant source of Pu in the sediments, whereas the tropospheric transport of low burn-up debris from Lop Nor in NW China is mostly responsible for the unusually low (superscript 240)Pu/(superscript 239)Pu ratios.
Highlights
Sun Moon Lake, located in the geographic center of Taiwan, is the largest natural lake on the island. Huh et al (1996) analyzed a sediment core collected from the lake for two radionuclides of atmospheric origin: the natural 210Pb and the anthropogenic 239·240Pu
These corroboratory results suggest that Sun Moon Lake sediments serves as an ideal system for the preservation of the history of atmospheric fallout in Taiwan
The 239240Pu activities previously measured by alpha spectrometry (AS) are listed
Summary
Sun Moon Lake, located in the geographic center of Taiwan, is the largest natural lake on the island. Huh et al (1996) analyzed a sediment core collected from the lake for two radionuclides of atmospheric origin: the natural 210Pb and the anthropogenic 239·240Pu.
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