Distribution of radionuclides in marine sediment along the Indian coastline

Oceans act as sinks for the radionuclide contaminants and sediment is considered as the environmental host of the waste discharged. The sources of radioactivity in the marine environment come mainly from atmospheric nuclear tests. In the sea, ¹³⁷Cs can deposit on the surface of marine sediment by a variety of mechanisms, including fixation on suspended matter and sedimentation, direct precipitation of colloidal forms, direct fixation by adsorption, and the deposition of organic waste. Present work is the part of the marine radioactivity monitoring program carried out for assessing the levels of fall out ¹³⁷Cs and naturally occurring radionuclides in sediment samples along the coast of India