HIGH-RESOLUTION PROFILE OF RADIOCESIUM DEPOSITION IN LOCH LOMOND SEDIMENTS

A sediment core from the southern basin of freshwater Loch Lomond, Sco tland was thinly sectioned at 3 mm intervals and analysed for radiocae sium, present as a result of fallout fr om the atmospheric nuclear wea pons' testing programme of the 1950s and 1960s and from the Chernobyl reactor accident of April 1986. The high-resolution sampling enabled m uch improved resolution of peaks from weapons testing fallout and Cher nobyl and led to the estimation of a sedimentation rate (30.9 mg cm(-2 )y(-1)) for which the uncertainty was a factor of five times less than that of a previous study based on a I cm sampling frequency Further p otential advantages of high-resolution sampling in distinguishing poss ible influences upon the vertical distribution of radiocaesium in sedi ments are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve d.