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

HR: 0800h
AN: H21E-1081 [Abstracts]
TI: A new method of measuring 81Kr and 85Kr abundances in environmental samples
AU: * Lu, Z
EM: lu@anl.gov
AF: Physics Div., Argonne National Laboratory, PHY/203, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AU: * Lu, Z
EM: lu@anl.gov
AF: Enrico Fermi Inst. and Dept. of Physics, Univ. of Chicago, 5640 Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637 United States
AU: Du, X
AF: Physics Div., Argonne National Laboratory, PHY/203, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AU: Du, X
AF: Physics Dept, Northwestern Univ., 633 Clark St., Evanston, IL 60208 United States
AU: Purtschert, R
AF: Physics Inst., University of Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Lehmann, B
AF: Physics Inst., University of Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Lorenzo, R
AF: Physics Inst., University of Bern, Sidlerstr. 5, Bern, 3012 Switzerland
AU: Mueller, P
AF: Physics Div., Argonne National Laboratory, PHY/203, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AU: O'Connor, T
AF: Physics Div., Argonne National Laboratory, PHY/203, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AU: Sturchio, N
AF: Dept. of Earth and Environmental Science, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607 United States
AU: Young, L
AF: Chemistry Div., Argonne Natonal Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AU: Probst, P
AF: Dept. of Earth and Environmental Science, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607 United States
AU: Bailey, K
AF: Physics Div., Argonne National Laboratory, PHY/203, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439 United States
AB: 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 100,000 - 1000,000 years. It requires a sample of 100 micro-l 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 ņ10%; 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.
UR: http://www-mep.phy.anl.gov/atta/
DE: 9820 Techniques applicable in three or more fields
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1035 Geochronology
DE: 1040 Isotopic composition/chemistry
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting