Use of Pb-210 and Cs-117 to simultaneously constrain ages and sources of post-dam sediments in the Cordeaux reservoir, Sydney, Australia
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Date
2008-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Environmental radionuclides can be employed as tracers of sediment movement and delivery to water bodies such as lakes and reservoirs. The chronologies of sediments that have accumulated in the Cordeaux reservoir in Sydney, Australia, were determined by the rate of change of Pb-210(cx) with depth and indicate slow accretion in the reservoir. The ratio of enrichment of radionuclides in sediment cores to Pb-210(cx) and (CS)-C-117 concentrations in a reference soil sample within the Cordeaux catchment indicates that the dominant source of sediment in the Cordeaux reservoir is surface erosion (detachment and removal of sediment at depths less than 30 cm). However, in the Kembla Creek arm of the reservoir a mixture of sources was detected and includes sheet and rill erosion together with sub-soil contributions. Implications for the utility of these radionuclide sedimentation assessments, especially where samples are limited, are that well-constrained chronologies and sources of soil erosion are facilitated. © 2008, Elsevier Ltd.
Description
Keywords
Radiopharmaceuticals, Sediments, Water reservoirs, Australia, Erosion, Radionuclide migration
Citation
Simms, A. D., Woodroffe, C., Jones, B. G., Heijnis, H., Mann, R. A., & Harrison, J. (2008). Use of Pb-210 and Cs-117 to simultaneously constrain ages and sources of post-dam sediments in the Cordeaux reservoir, Sydney, Australia. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99(7), 1111-1120. doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2008.01.002