Contribution of 137 Cs-enriched particles to radiocesium concentrations in seafloor sediment: Reconnaissance experiment

Abstract

Autoradiography was used to detect 137 Cs-enriched particles in sediment samples. The contributions of 137 Cs-enriched particles to 137 Cs concentrations in sediment samples ranged from 9% to 64%. These experiments revealed that the variability of 137 Cs concentrations was due mainly to the heterogeneous distribution of 137 Cs-enriched particles in the samples. Therefore, the heterogeneous distribution of 137 Cs-enriched particles is probably one of the main factors responsible for the temporal and spatial variations of 137 Cs concentrations in sediment samples.