Anomalous Plutonium Isotopic Ratios in Sediments of Lake Qinghai from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

The vertical profiles of 239+240Pu and 137Cs activities and 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios are determined for three sediment cores of Lake Qinghai from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, and compared with those in sediments of another three lakes (Lakes Bosten, Sugan, and Shuangta), the only existing ones closest to Lop Nor area, China’s nuclear weapons test site in the northwestern part of the country. The mean inventory of 47.7 ± 18.7 MBq km–2 for 239+240Pu activity in Lake Qinghai is comparable to the average value of global fallout expected at the same latitude, yet the mean inventory of 1112.0 ± 78.0 MBq km–2 for 137Cs is slightly lower than that of global fallout. Anomalously low 240Pu/239Pu isotopic ratios (0.038–0.125) were found in the 3–6.5 cm deep sediment layers, indicating the trace Pu input from early nuclear weapons research activities at Atomic City in the lake’s watershed during the 1950–60s. Model calculation indicated that the Pu input accounted for approximately 5–16% of the total Pu inventory. The observation of low 240Pu/239Pu ratio in the deep sediment layer provided a new time marker for recent sediment dating in the lake and around the area. The results are of great significance to the further understanding of sources, records, and environmental impacts of global and regional nuclear activities in the environment and provide important chronological information for further studies on the water eutrophication process and climatic change, and reconstruction of pollution history of organic contaminants and heavy metals in the watershed of Lake Qinghai.