Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests

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Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests. / Gabrieli, Jacopo; Cozzi, Giulio; Vallelonga, Paul Travis; Schwikowski, Margit; Sigl, Michael; Eickenberg, J; Wacker, L; Boutron, Claude; Gaggeler, Heinz; Cescon, Paolo; Barbante, Carlo.

In: Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 45, 2011, p. 587-593.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Gabrieli, J, Cozzi, G, Vallelonga, PT, Schwikowski, M, Sigl, M, Eickenberg, J, Wacker, L, Boutron, C, Gaggeler, H, Cescon, P & Barbante, C 2011, 'Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests', Atmospheric Environment, vol. 45, pp. 587-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039

APA

Gabrieli, J., Cozzi, G., Vallelonga, P. T., Schwikowski, M., Sigl, M., Eickenberg, J., Wacker, L., Boutron, C., Gaggeler, H., Cescon, P., & Barbante, C. (2011). Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests. Atmospheric Environment, 45, 587-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039

Vancouver

Gabrieli J, Cozzi G, Vallelonga PT, Schwikowski M, Sigl M, Eickenberg J et al. Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests. Atmospheric Environment. 2011;45:587-593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039

Author

Gabrieli, Jacopo ; Cozzi, Giulio ; Vallelonga, Paul Travis ; Schwikowski, Margit ; Sigl, Michael ; Eickenberg, J ; Wacker, L ; Boutron, Claude ; Gaggeler, Heinz ; Cescon, Paolo ; Barbante, Carlo. / Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests. In: Atmospheric Environment. 2011 ; Vol. 45. pp. 587-593.

Bibtex

@article{fe1b5a53189845afa5618dd78f1e314a,
title = "Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests",
abstract = "Plutonium is present in the environment as a consequence of atmospheric nuclear tests, nuclear weapons production and industrial releases over the past 50 years. To study temporal trends, a high resolution Pu record was obtained by analyzing 52 discrete samples of an alpine firn/ice core from Colle Gnifetti (Monte Rosa, 4450 m a.s.l.), dating from 1945 to 1990. The 239Pu signal was recorded directly, without previous decontamination or preconcentration steps, using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Sector Field Mass Spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) equipped with a desolvation system, thus requiring much less sample preparation than previously used methods. The 239Pu profile reflects the three main periods of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing: the earliest peak lasted from 1954/55 to 1958 and was caused by the first testing period reaching a maximum in 1958. Despite a temporary halt of testing in 1959/60, the Pu concentration decreased only by half with respect to the 1958 peak due to long atmospheric residence times. In 1961/62 Pu concentrations rapidly increased reaching a maximum in 1963, which was about 40% more intense than the 1958 peak. After the signing of the “Limited Test Ban Treaty” between USA and USSR in 1964, Pu deposition decreased very sharply reaching a minimum in 1967. The third period (1967-1975) is characterized by irregular Pu concentrations with smaller peaks (about 20-30% of the 1964 peak) which might be related to the deposition of Saharan dust contaminated by the French nuclear tests of the 1960s. The data presented are in very good agreement with Pu profiles previously obtained from the Col du Dome (multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry) and Belukha ice cores by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Although a semi-quantitative method was employed here, the results are quantitatively comparable to previously published results. ",
author = "Jacopo Gabrieli and Giulio Cozzi and Vallelonga, {Paul Travis} and Margit Schwikowski and Michael Sigl and J Eickenberg and L Wacker and Claude Boutron and Heinz Gaggeler and Paolo Cescon and Carlo Barbante",
year = "2011",
doi = "10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039",
language = "English",
volume = "45",
pages = "587--593",
journal = "Atmospheric Environment",
issn = "1352-2310",
publisher = "Pergamon Press",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Contamination of Alpine snow and ice at Colle Gnifetti, Swizz/Italian Alps, from nuclear weapons tests

AU - Gabrieli, Jacopo

AU - Cozzi, Giulio

AU - Vallelonga, Paul Travis

AU - Schwikowski, Margit

AU - Sigl, Michael

AU - Eickenberg, J

AU - Wacker, L

AU - Boutron, Claude

AU - Gaggeler, Heinz

AU - Cescon, Paolo

AU - Barbante, Carlo

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Plutonium is present in the environment as a consequence of atmospheric nuclear tests, nuclear weapons production and industrial releases over the past 50 years. To study temporal trends, a high resolution Pu record was obtained by analyzing 52 discrete samples of an alpine firn/ice core from Colle Gnifetti (Monte Rosa, 4450 m a.s.l.), dating from 1945 to 1990. The 239Pu signal was recorded directly, without previous decontamination or preconcentration steps, using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Sector Field Mass Spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) equipped with a desolvation system, thus requiring much less sample preparation than previously used methods. The 239Pu profile reflects the three main periods of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing: the earliest peak lasted from 1954/55 to 1958 and was caused by the first testing period reaching a maximum in 1958. Despite a temporary halt of testing in 1959/60, the Pu concentration decreased only by half with respect to the 1958 peak due to long atmospheric residence times. In 1961/62 Pu concentrations rapidly increased reaching a maximum in 1963, which was about 40% more intense than the 1958 peak. After the signing of the “Limited Test Ban Treaty” between USA and USSR in 1964, Pu deposition decreased very sharply reaching a minimum in 1967. The third period (1967-1975) is characterized by irregular Pu concentrations with smaller peaks (about 20-30% of the 1964 peak) which might be related to the deposition of Saharan dust contaminated by the French nuclear tests of the 1960s. The data presented are in very good agreement with Pu profiles previously obtained from the Col du Dome (multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry) and Belukha ice cores by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Although a semi-quantitative method was employed here, the results are quantitatively comparable to previously published results.

AB - Plutonium is present in the environment as a consequence of atmospheric nuclear tests, nuclear weapons production and industrial releases over the past 50 years. To study temporal trends, a high resolution Pu record was obtained by analyzing 52 discrete samples of an alpine firn/ice core from Colle Gnifetti (Monte Rosa, 4450 m a.s.l.), dating from 1945 to 1990. The 239Pu signal was recorded directly, without previous decontamination or preconcentration steps, using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Sector Field Mass Spectrometer (ICP-SFMS) equipped with a desolvation system, thus requiring much less sample preparation than previously used methods. The 239Pu profile reflects the three main periods of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing: the earliest peak lasted from 1954/55 to 1958 and was caused by the first testing period reaching a maximum in 1958. Despite a temporary halt of testing in 1959/60, the Pu concentration decreased only by half with respect to the 1958 peak due to long atmospheric residence times. In 1961/62 Pu concentrations rapidly increased reaching a maximum in 1963, which was about 40% more intense than the 1958 peak. After the signing of the “Limited Test Ban Treaty” between USA and USSR in 1964, Pu deposition decreased very sharply reaching a minimum in 1967. The third period (1967-1975) is characterized by irregular Pu concentrations with smaller peaks (about 20-30% of the 1964 peak) which might be related to the deposition of Saharan dust contaminated by the French nuclear tests of the 1960s. The data presented are in very good agreement with Pu profiles previously obtained from the Col du Dome (multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry) and Belukha ice cores by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Although a semi-quantitative method was employed here, the results are quantitatively comparable to previously published results.

U2 - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039

DO - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.10.039

M3 - Journal article

VL - 45

SP - 587

EP - 593

JO - Atmospheric Environment

JF - Atmospheric Environment

SN - 1352-2310

ER -

ID: 32399194