Book contents
- Radioecology
- Cambridge Environmental Chemistry Series
- Radioecology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 The Emergence of Radioecology
- 2 Stable and Unstable Atoms
- 3 Radionuclides and Other Sources of Radiation in the Natural Environment
- 4 Radionuclide Distributions and Their Value as Environmental Clocks and Tracers
- 5 The Accumulation of Radionuclides by Plants and Animals
- 6 Radiation Dosimetry and Biological Effects
- 7 Managing Environmental Radiation Exposures: Experiences and Challenges
- Index of nuclides
- Index
- References
4 - Radionuclide Distributions and Their Value as Environmental Clocks and Tracers
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 December 2021
Book contents
- Radioecology
- Cambridge Environmental Chemistry Series
- Radioecology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 The Emergence of Radioecology
- 2 Stable and Unstable Atoms
- 3 Radionuclides and Other Sources of Radiation in the Natural Environment
- 4 Radionuclide Distributions and Their Value as Environmental Clocks and Tracers
- 5 The Accumulation of Radionuclides by Plants and Animals
- 6 Radiation Dosimetry and Biological Effects
- 7 Managing Environmental Radiation Exposures: Experiences and Challenges
- Index of nuclides
- Index
- References
Summary
An obvious feature of the presence of radionuclides in the environment, regardless of their origin, is that their different rates of decay have the potential to estimate the time elapsed since certain events or processes took place. Thus they could be used in a sequential manner, using ratios of parent and daughter radionuclides at different points in time, or in a parallel manner, by comparing the ratios of two or more radionuclides of the same element over time. And the passage of time itself as estimated using radionuclides could in turn be theoretically used in various contexts, such as time before the present, the time that had elapsed between two events (such as birth and death) at some previous period in time, or the time elapsed to indicate the rate at which a specific process takes place. So to what extent do such possibilities exist in a practical sense?
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- RadioecologySources and Consequences of Ionising Radiation in the Environment, pp. 126 - 171Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021
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