Abstract
The deposition of radiocaesium from nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident upon the Llyn Llygad Rheidol catchment in mid-Wales is described. Inventories of soil cores from the catchment support estimates of total atmospheric fallout. The mean inventory of weapons testing 137Cs in lake sediment cores is broadly similar to that in soil cores. The inventory of Chernobyl fallout in sediment cores is significantly lower and raises questions concerning the residence time of 137Cs in the catchment soils and lake waters. 137Cs and 241Am activities in a sediment core record the 1963 peak of fallout from nuclear weapons testing. The association of the peak activities of 137Cs and 241Am in the sediments with the fallout maximum is confirmed by 210Pb dating. The 210Pb dates also reveal a significant increase in sediment accumulation rates over the past 20 years.
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Bonnett, P.J.P., Appleby, P.G. (1991). Deposition and transport of radionuclides within an upland drainage basin in mid-Wales. In: Smith, J.P., et al. Environmental History and Palaeolimnology. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 67. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3592-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3592-4_9
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