Effect of Storage Temperature and Duration of Environmental Water on Dissolved 137Cs Concentration

Abstract

We examined fluctuations of dissolved 137 Cs concentration in the constant temperature storage of unfiltered water samples from forest rivers, urban rivers and agricultural reservoirs. When the water was acidified im mediately after sampling, the dissolved 137 Cs concentration during the 30-day storage period increased from the in situ concentration. The dissolved 137 Cs concentration without acid varied depending on the storage temperature, number of storage days, and the nature of the water. The findings suggest that it is possible to reproduce the in situ dissolved 137 Cs concentration by restoring the water temperature to that of the originally sampled water after a short period storage of refrigeration prior to filtration.