Spatial distribution of fallout 137Cs in coastal marine water of Tamil Nadu coast

Very little information on the fallout 137Cs activity exists for the Bay of Bengal. Normally the volume of sea water required for detecting fall out level of 137Cs in coastal marine environment ranges from 100 litres to 1000 litres. The studies on distribution of 137Cs in surface seawater of Tamil Nadu in Bay of Bengal were carried out in April 2009. On the eastern coastal lines of Bay of Bengal in Tamil Nadu, seven offshore locations were selected namely Chennai, Pondicherry, Karaikal, Rameshwaram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari. In situ preconcentration method was adopted and the experiments were carried out using motor boats well equipped to carry the instruments and provide power supply to operate the pump. 1000 litres of seawater was passed each time through CFCN filters at all the locations at a flow rate of 8 litres per minute. The activity concentrations of 137Cs was in the range of 0.90 to 2.2 Bq/m3. These data represents reference values for coastal environment of Tamil Nadu and will be used to estimate radionuclide inventory in Indian marine environment, particularly of East Coast. The 137Cs activity indicates that there are no new inputs of these radionuclides into the area. (author)