Tritium in Australian precipitation: a 50 year record

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dc.contributor.authorTadros, CVen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHughes, CEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorCrawford, Jen_AU
dc.contributor.authorHollins, SEen_AU
dc.contributor.authorChisari, Ren_AU
dc.date.accessioned2021-03-04T05:35:43Zen_AU
dc.date.available2021-03-04T05:35:43Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2014-05-26en_AU
dc.date.statistics2021-03-04en_AU
dc.description.abstractTritium in precipitation has been measured in Australia over the past 50 years, as an essential research tool in hydro-climate studies, and to contribute to the Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP). Tritium, a component of the water molecule (HTO), is the only true age tracer for waters. The elevated level of tritium in the environment as a result of last century’s atmospheric thermonuclear testing delivers the benefit of tracing groundwater systems over a 100 year timeframe. The concentration of tritium in Australian precipitation reached a maximum of 160 Tritium Units (TU) in 1963, during one of the most intense periods of nuclear weapons testing. From 1963 to present we observe a rapid drop in the concentration of tritium, more than expected from natural decay, and this can be attributed to the wash out of tritium into the oceans and groundwater. Spikes in the tritium level are superimposed over this general trend; the first around 1969, with levels ranging from 39.4 to 84.4 TU was due to French atmospheric weapon testing, and again in 1990, levels peaked between 6.6 and 12.9 TU, which is attributed to tritium leaking from underground tests in the French Pacific. Since 1990 the levels of tritium have declined globally and regionally. Currently the levels of tritium in Australia are stabilising to around 2–3 TU increasing with latitude across the continent, suggesting that today the tritium in precipitation is predominantly natural. The spatial distribution of tritium is presented and found to be dominated by the annual stratosphere–troposphere exchange in combination with latitude and continental effects. A precipitation amount effect is also observed for inland sites. Crown Copyright © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationTadros, C. V., Hughes, C. E., Crawford, J., Hollins, S. E., & Chisari, R. (2014). Tritium in Australian precipitation: A 50 year record. Journal of Hydrology, 513, 262-273. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.03.031en_AU
dc.identifier.issn0022-1694en_AU
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Hydrologyen_AU
dc.identifier.pagination262-273en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.03.031en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttps://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/10486en_AU
dc.identifier.volume513en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherElsevier B. V.en_AU
dc.subjectTritiumen_AU
dc.subjectGround wateren_AU
dc.subjectPrecipitationen_AU
dc.subjectAustraliaen_AU
dc.subjectNuclear test sitesen_AU
dc.subjectTracer techniquesen_AU
dc.subjectDecayen_AU
dc.subjectFranceen_AU
dc.subjectPacific Oceanen_AU
dc.titleTritium in Australian precipitation: a 50 year recorden_AU
dc.typeJournal Articleen_AU
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