A big difference in Cs-137 inventories based on two individual cores within a shallow lake, east China

Two sediment piston cores (CHX and CHY) collected from Chaohu Lake, east China were tested for Cs-137. It was found that the two Cs-137 profiles show very different distribution characteristics, with fallout maxima at CHX and CHY of 21.1 and 51.7 Bq/kg, respectively. The inventories of Cs-137 at CHY (2268.1 Bq/m(2)) is more than five times greater than that of CHX, but the Pb-210 inventories at the two sites are very similar. The discrepancy in Cs-137 inventory can be explained by differences in grain size distributions. Higher levels of potassium in CHY than CHX samples also support this.