Studying the Effects of 1974 French Atomic Tests Series in the Pacific on Australian Atmosphere - An Activation Analysis Approach to Nuclear Metrology

摘要

A novel approach for nuclear metrology has been applied to study the effects of French Atomic Tests in the Pacific of 1974, on the Australian atmosphere. The atmospheric particulates collected around East Coast Australian cities and Port Moresby, just before and just after the French test series of 1974 in the Pacific, have been analysed by proton activation analysis. A number of elements, S, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se and Hg, ranging in concentrations from 0.001 mug / m~3 to up o 3.27 mug / m~3, have been determined. The changes observed in the concentrations of these elements in the two sets of samples are attributed to synoptic rather than nuclear fall-out effects.