Determination of total I and 129I concentrations in freshwater of Argentina

JORGE FERNÁNDEZ NIELLO ; AGUSTÍN NEGRI; ANTON WALLNER; ANDRÉS ARAZI; L. KEITH FIFIELD; STEPHEN TIMS

Canberra

Simposio; HIAS 2013 Heavy Ion Accelerator Symposium on Fundamental and Applied Science - 2013; 2013

Department of Nuclear Physics at The Australian National University, Canberra.

Total iodine and 129-iodine in rivers and lakes of Argentina were measured by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and accelerator mass spectrometry respectively. The obtained isotopic ratios, higher than the natural level, are explained as the delayed signal from nuclear weapon atmospheric tests.Besides, deposition fluences in catchment areas of the lakes are analyzed. Their latitudinal dependence, similar to the dependence of annual precipitation rates, favours wet deposition as the main 129I fallout mechanism for this region.