IN-SITU GAMMA-SPECTROMETRY INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE IN SALZBURG, AUSTRIA

In situ gamma-spectrometry has become a useful method of assessing the nuclide concentrations of man-made and natural gamma-emitters in the soil. For the quality assurance of the measurements, periodically cond ucted intercomparison exercises are essential. Therefore exercises wer e organized in different European countries since 1990, the last one w as conducted in Salzburg, Austria in September 1994. The participation of 27 measurement teams from all over Europe emphasizes the importanc e of the intercomparison. Salzburg was selected because the Province o f Salzburg, Austria was among the most heavily contaminated regions ou tside the former USSR by the Chernobyl fallout. Two different typical sites were selected for the measurements: Site 1 was inside the urban area of Salzburg on intensively used grassland which had not been till ed since the deposition of the fallout. This site is representative fo r intensively used agricultural regions in the Province of Salzburg. S ite 2 was in the mountainous regions of the Hohe Tauern at an elevated altitude of 1600 m, representing the agricultural soil- and contamina tion conditions of the Alpine regions in the Tauern. The two sites dif fer significantly in terms of soil characteristics, a crucial paramete r for the evaluation of in situ gamma-spectra. The participants used d ifferent approaches for the evaluation of the gamma-spectra in terms o f considering the depth distribution. In the paper the results from th e 24 European teams are presented.