CHEMICAL STATE OF TRITIUM
IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND SOURCES
OF TRITIATED METHANE
A. HAINES and B. MUSGRAVE
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
ABSTRACT
The T/H ratios in atmospheric hydrogen and methane are discussed in
relation to some of the available information on the amounts of tritium
released by the nuclear industry. The increase in the T/H ratio in atmospheric hydrogen prior to 1952 can be attributed to this source.
From the rate of tritium release, an estimate of the production of
tritiated methane can be made. Such an estimate gives reasonable
agreement with the observed T/H values.
INTRODUCTION
The presence of tritium (7H or T) in at least three different chemical forms in the atmosphere is well known. A number of studies have
been made which have resulted in a reasonably good understanding of
the general nature of this distribution. Lack of detailed information
about the sources of the tritium, however, has prevented a complete
explanation of the variations with time of the T/H ratio in hydrogen and
methane.
The data!~’ for T/H ratios in northern- and southern-hemisphere
methane and northern-hemisphere hydrogen from 1948 to 1955 are
shown in Fig. 1. Bishop and Taylor® have suggested that the T/H ratio
in hydrogen was increasing exponentially prior to the 1952 Operation
Ivy nuclear test series and is continuing to increase in this manner.
More recently Bainbridge et al.! have proposed that the natural level
was high and that no increaSe occurred prior to 1954; however, the
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