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The jackknife as an approach for uncertainty estimation in gamma spectrometric uranium isotope ratio measurements was evaluated. Five different materials ranging from depleted uranium (DU) to high enriched uranium (HEU) were measured using gamma spectrometry. High resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS) was used as a reference method for comparing the results obtained with the gamma spectrometric method. The relative combined uncertainty in the gamma spectrometric measurements of the U-238/U-235 isotope ratio using the jackknife was about 10-20% (k = 2), which proved to be fit-for-purpose in order to distinguish between different uranium categories. Moreover, the enrichment of U-235 in HEU could be measured with an uncertainty of 1-2%. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The retention and distribution of cesium, and to some extent strontium, in forest environments are being studied at three sites in Sweden. The main part of the cesium found in the soil was recovered in horizons rich in organic matter. The cesium was retained in the soil organic matter in a more or less extractable form. As different soil types have a different distribution pattern of organic matter, the distribution of cesium will depend on the forest soil type. The clay content in Swedish forest soils is, in general, low which will mitigate the retention of cesium in the soil mineral horizons. The cesium and strontium present in the trees was considered to be an effect of assimilation by the tissues in the canopy as well as by the roots. The redistribution of cesium within the trees was extensive which was considered to be the effect of a high mobility of cesium in the trees. The recovery of strontium-90 in pines, in relation to the deposition rate was higher compared to the relative recovery of cesium-137, 30 years after deposition. The cesium and strontium will remain in the forest environment for a considerable time but can be reduced by forest practice, by leaching out of the soil profile or by radioactive decay.

In an attempt to understand the mechanisms governing the transfer and retention of radiocaesium in the understorey vegetation, 39 macromycetes species and 33 plant species, together with humus samples, were systematically collected from the undercover vegetation in a boreal coniferous forest. The results indicate that the main factors determining interspecific differences in contamination level are the rooting depth in plants, the depth of mycelium in fungi, and the ecophysiological behaviour of fungi, mycotrophism or plant parasitism. A comparison between the investigated species and the same species growing in similar ecosystems, albeit under different climatic conditions, resulted in an almost identical ranking in terms of radiocaesium contamination levels; the contamination ratios between species were also relatively constant. From an experiment involving humus samples, it was shown that up to 40% of the radiocaesium could be retained by the microflora, particularly by mycelia.

In an attempt to understand the mechanisms governing the transfer and retention of radiocaesium in the understorey vegetation, 39 macromycetes species and 33 plant species, together with humus samples, were systematically collected from the undercover vegetation in a boreal coniferous forest. The results indicate that the main factors determining interspecific differences in contamination level are the rooting depth in plants, the depth of mycelium in fungi, and the ecophysiological behaviour of fungi, mycotrophism or plant parasitism. A comparison between the investigated species and the same species growing in similar ecosystems, albeit under different climatic conditions, resulted in an almost identical ranking in terms of radiocaesium contamination levels; the contamination ratios between species were also relatively constant. From an experiment involving humus samples, it was shown that up to 40% of the radiocaesium could be retained by the microflora, particularly by mycelia.