137Cs contamination in the Adamello glacier: Improving the analytical method

• Published in: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
• Main Authors: Di Stefano, Elena, Clemenza, Massimiliano, Baccolo, Giovanni, Delmonte, Barbara, Maggi, Valter
• Other Authors: Di Stefano, E, Clemenza, M, Baccolo, G, Delmonte, B, Maggi, V
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2019
• Subjects: 137; C; Adamello glacier; Alpine ice core; γ-spectroscopy; gamma- spectroscopy; 137C; FIS/07 - FISICA APPLICATA (A BENI CULTURALI; AMBIENTALI; BIOLOGIA E MEDICINA); FIS/04 - FISICA NUCLEARE E SUBNUCLEARE; ice core
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10281/241051; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106039; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X19302280

An alpine ice core, extracted from the Adamello glacier (Central Italian Alps), was analyzed in its entire length through low background γ-spectroscopy, for the detection of 137Cs. Our results show that in glacier ice 137Cs is tightly bound to insoluble particulate matter inside the ice core, and it is therefore possible to restrict γ-spectroscopy analysis to particulate matter only. We show how the sensibility of the detection limit can be improved by almost one order of magnitude by using a well-type detector instead of a coaxial one. Hypothesis on the dating of some radioactive layers are also hereby presented.