Movement of radiotracer metal cations through a forest soil column

The migration of tritiated water, 22Na, 85Sr, and 65Zn through an intact soil column characterized by high hydrodynamic dispersion was observed under ponded flow conditions. The elution of the tracers is described, using advection-dispersion and two-region/two-site one-dimensional transport models. The advection-dispersion model fit the elution curve of tritiated water well, but the two-region/two-site model was required to describe the elution of the 22Na tracer from the soil column. The 85Sr and 65Zn were retained by the soil column and did not appear in the effluent, despite high hydrodynamic dispersion, which resulted in the nearly immediate appearance of tritiated water in the effluent. (author)