Scavenging of Chernobyl137Cs and natural210Pb in Lake Sempach, Switzerland

Details Scavenging of Chernobyl137Cs and natural210Pb in Lake Sempach, Switzerland Scavenging of Chernobyl137Cs and natural210Pb in Lake Sempach, Switzerland

Jul 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993gecoa..57.2959w&link_type=abstract

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 57, Issue 13, p. 2959-2979.

Physics

1

Scientific paper

Radioactive fallout from the burning Chernobyl nuclear reactor provided a pulsed release of137Cs to Lake Sempach at the beginning of May 1986. The time-dependent removal of137Cs from the water column into the sediments has been investigated by analyzing water samples, settling particles and sediment cores. A flux balance has been established to determine and to quantify the removal processes in the epilimnion and hypolimnion of Lake Sempach. Between May 1986 and March 1988, removal residence times of137Cs averaged 150 days in the epilimnion and 280 days in the hypolimnion.137Cs accumulated in the hypolimnion during stratification and its scavenging from the hypolimnion into the sediments was the rate-limiting step of the overall process of removing137Cs from the water column. Resuspension of sedimentary137Cs occurred during circulation periods in winter. Scavenging by settling particles was the dominant removal process of137Cs in epilimnion and hypolimnion. Sediment trap fluxes of137Cs and210Pb linearly correlated with increasing particle fluxes up to a maximum of about 2.5 g m-2 d-1. Higher particle fluxes, likely due to calcite precipitation, did not enhance removal fluxes and scavenging efficiency for these nuclides. The distribution coefficient for the partition of137Cs between lake water and settling particles, Kd, was determined to 7.0 ± 1.0 sx 104 cm3 g-1 for epilimnetic particles and to 5.3 ± 1.1 × 104 cm3 g-1 for hypolimnetic particles. The distribution coefficient for210Pb was estimated to 1.1 × 106 cm3 g-1. The possibility of postdepositional mobility of Chernobyl and nuclear weapons137Cs and natural210Pb in sediments was proved.

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