A new method of measuring 81Kr and 85Kr abundances in environmental samples

We demonstrate a new method for determining the 81Kr/Kr ratio in environmental samples based upon two measurements: the 85Kr/81Kr ratio measured by Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) and the 85Kr/Kr ratio measured by Low‐Level Counting (LLC). This method can be used to determine the mean residence time...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2003-10, Vol.30 (20), p.HLS4.1-n/a
Main Authors: Du, X., Purtschert, R., Bailey, K., Lehmann, B. E., Lorenzo, R., Lu, Z.-T., Mueller, P., O'Connor, T. P., Sturchio, N. C., Young, L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
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Summary:We demonstrate a new method for determining the 81Kr/Kr ratio in environmental samples based upon two measurements: the 85Kr/81Kr ratio measured by Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) and the 85Kr/Kr ratio measured by Low‐Level Counting (LLC). This method can be used to determine the mean residence time of groundwater in the range of 105–106 a. It requires a sample of 100 μl STP of Kr extracted from approximately two tons of water. With modern atmospheric Kr samples, we demonstrate that the ratios measured by ATTA and LLC are directly proportional to each other within the measurement error of ±10%; we calibrate the 81Kr/Kr ratio of modern air measured using this method; and we show that the 81Kr/Kr ratios of samples extracted from air before and after the development of the nuclear industry are identical within the measurement error.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2003GL018293