Distributions of 239Pu and 240Pu Concentrations and 240Pu/239Pu Atom Ratios and 239+240Pu Inventories in a Water Column in the Eastern Indian Ocean: Transport of Pacific Proving Grounds-Derived Pu via the Indonesian Throughflow

The Pu239+240 concentrations and Pu-240/Pu-239 atom ratios in seawater from the eastern Indian Ocean were determined to identify their Pu sources and to propose the transport pathway of Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG)-derived Pu into the studied area. This is the first study by anyone on these Pu atom ratios in the Indian Ocean. In the West Australia Basin, the Pu239+240 concentration was 2.89 mBq m-3 in the surface water and increased with depth; a subsurface maximum was identified at 200 m depth and then decreased gradually with depth; its water column inventory was 32.8 Bq m(-2). The inventory-weighted mean Pu-240/Pu-239 atom ratios were 0.208 in the South Australia Basin, 0.226 in the Perth Basin, 0.242 in the West Australia Basin, 0.232 in the Bay of Bengal, and 0.225 in the Andaman Sea. The obtained Pu-240/Pu-239 ratios were clearly greater than the mean global fallout ratio of 0.18. These high atom ratios proved the presence of close-in fallout Pu from PPG nuclear tests. The relative contribution of global and PPG fallouts was evaluated using the two-end-member mixing model. The Pu239+240 inventories originating from the PPG fallout were calculated as 2.9-14.9 Bq m(-2), which corresponded to 20-46% of the total Pu239+240 inventory. A significant amount of the PPG-derived Pu has been transported to the eastern Indian Ocean. The proposed transport pathway accounting for the high Pu-240/Pu-239 ratio is the transportation of PPG-derived Pu by the North Equatorial Current followed by the Mindanao Current, Indonesian Throughflow, and then spreading over the Indian Ocean by its surface circulation system.

Automated summary

The study focuses on Pu239+240 concentrations and Pu-240/Pu-239 atom ratios in seawater from the eastern Indian Ocean to identify Pu sources and transport pathways. It is found that a significant amount of Pu derived from Pacific Proving Grounds nuclear tests has been transported to the studied area through specific ocean currents, with high Pu-240/Pu-239 ratios indicating close-in fallout Pu presence.