Full spectrum analysis in environmental monitoring

In the environmental monitoring spectroscopic gamma detectors are frequently used. The motivation to use spectroscopic gamma detectors is the higher sensitivity and specific spectral information. For the analysis often the photo peaks of the gamma spectrum are used to identify the nuclide. These methods are very reliable, robust and well developed but using only the photo peak means also to use only a fraction of the available information. Doing a full spectrum analysis based on principal components obtained from NASVD for description of the radiation background and adjustment calculations are a possible analysis method, which may provide advantages compared to a peak based analysis when used for a continuous environmental monitoring. An analysis example is shown and discussed with a measured time series of gamma spectra obtained from a spectroscopic gamma detector SARA IGS710 with a NaI(Tl) scintillator as it is used in the environmental monitoring. (authors)