Plutonium in the atmosphere: A global perspective

A number of potential source terms have contributed plutonium isotopes to the atmosphere. The atmospheric nuclear weapon tests conducted between 1945 and 1980 and the re-entry of the burned SNAP-9A satellite in 1964, respectively. It is generally believed that current levels of plutonium in the stratosphere are negligible and compared with the levels generally found at surface-level air. In this study, the time trend analysis and long-term behavior of plutonium isotopes (^239+240Pu and ²³⁸Pu) in the atmosphere were assessed using historical data collected by various national and international monitoring networks since 1960s. An analysis of historical data indicates that ^239+240Pu concentration post-1984 is still frequently detectable, whereas ²³⁸Pu is detected infrequently. Furthermore, the seasonal and time-trend variation of plutonium concentration in surface air followed the stratospheric trends until the early 1980s. After the last Chinese test of 1980, the plutonium concentrations in surface air dropped to the current levels, suggesting that the observed concentrations post-1984 have not been under stratospheric control, but rather reflect the environmental processes such as resuspension. Recent plutonium atmospheric air concentrations data show that besides resuspension, other environmental processes such as global dust storms and biomass burning/wildfire also play an important role in redistributing plutonium in the atmosphere. - Highlights: • Sources and long term behavior of plutonium in atmosphere were discussed. • Temporal variations of plutonium in the atmosphere were evaluated. • Plutonium air concentrations monitoring data were reviewed. • Factors controlling plutonium in air today were discussed.