UCL Environmental Radiometric Facility

About

The UCL Environmental Radiometric Facility is located within the Department of Geography, University College London and uses low-background hyper-pure germanium gamma spectrometers capable of measuring low-level environmental radioactivity.

The facility currently employs two ORTEC^® HPGe GWL series coaxial well-type gamma detectors and one HPGe LOAX planar coaxial detector, each housed in a 100mm thick lead shield. Resulting spectra may be analysed for different environmental radioisotopes including ²¹⁰Pb, ²²⁶Ra, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ²⁴¹Am, ⁷Be and ⁴⁰K.

Since 2005, when the facility was first set up, the main application has been for the radiometric dating of lake sediments and peats via the measurement of ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs and ²⁴¹Am. This enables chronologies of 100 - 150 years to be accurately determined. The facility has undertaken these analyses for research projects based in many areas of the world.

This approach can also be used in a number of other ways to investigate the distribution of radioisotopes in the environment through measurements of a wide range of environmental and ecological samples.

Applications

Radiometric dating of lake, marine and coastal sediments and peat accumulations by establishing chronologies and accumulation rates through the measurement of atmospheric fallout of naturally produced ²¹⁰Pb and artificially produced ¹³⁷Cs and ²⁴¹Am radionuclides.

Determining the extent of sediment focusing within a lake basin by measuring ²¹⁰Pb distribution in sediment cores from across the accumulation zone

Modelling the transfer of radionuclides through catchment-lake systems and assessing soil erosion in catchments by investigating inventories of environmental radioisotopes such as ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs and ²⁴¹Am in soils as well as in sediments and peats

Tracing atmospherically deposited pollutants through terrestrial and lake ecosystems by comparing distributions of ²¹⁰Pb and other pollutants, in particular trace metals.

Monitoring radioactive discharges and emissions from nuclear and non-nuclear sites; assessing state and changes of gamma radiation does rates in the environment.

Archaeological studies. The planar detector can be used for large samples (250mm diameter and 460mm high internal chamber) and offers a non-destructive means of determining approximate U-content and disequilibrium status for age estimation. This approach has been used to provide an age for Neanderthal skull remains

Research collaboration

Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London (www.ecrc.ucl.ac.uk)

Environmental Radioactivity Research Centre, University of Liverpool (http://www.liv.ac.uk/info/research/env_modelling/)

School of Geography, University of Nottingham (http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/geography/index.aspx)

School of Environment & Life Science, University of Salford (http://www.els.salford.ac.uk/)

Rest of World

Department of Geography, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick (http://www.mic.ul.ie/academicdepts/geography/)

IASMA Research and Innovation Centre, Italy (http://www.ismaa.it/)

Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck (http://www.uibk.ac.at/ecology/)

Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki (http://www.helsinki.fi/geo/english/about.html)

Institute of Geology & Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (http://www.igg.cas.cn/)

Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (http://www.itpcas.cas.cn/)

Department of Biology, University of Bergen (http://www.uib.no/bio/en)

Recent Research Projects

List of Research Projects

The facility has been involved in a number of research projects including the following. Click on the project below for more information:

Contact Us

For enquiries and further information, please contact:

Facility manager: Dr Handong Yang
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 0544

e-mail: handong.yang@ucl.ac.uk
web: http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/about-the-department/people/research-staff/handong-yang/

Coordinator:                Prof. Neil Rose
Tel:                              +44 (0)20 7679 0543
e-mail:                         n.rose@ucl.ac.uk
web:                            http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/about-the-department/people/academics/neil-rose

Postal Address: Department of Geography, Pearson Building, University College London,

Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

Fax: +44 (0)20 7679 0565