Tritium and Deuterium Content of Atmospheric Hydrogen

T h e tr i t ium and d e u t e r i u m c o n t e n t o f 24 s a m p l e s of a t m o s p h e r i c h y d r o g e n c o l l e c t e d at g r o u n d level near B u f f a l o . N . Y . ( U . S . A . ) , H a m b u r g ( G e r m a n y ) , and N ü r n b e r g ( G e r m a n y ) d u r i n g 1954 to 1956 was m e a s u r e d . At the b e g i n n i n g o f 1954 the T / H r a t i o was f o u n d to have been 9 . 1 8 1 0 1 4 , i . e . a b o u t a f a c t o r of 10 h i g h e r than 1949 (FALTINGS and HARTECK) and 1951 (v . GROSSE et a l . ) , p r o b a b l y d u e to the first e x p l o s i o n of a t h e r m o n u c l e a r d e v i c e in N o v e m b e r 1952. In sp i te of a m a j o r test ser ies of t h e r m o n u c l e a r w e a p o n s in s p r i n g of 1954 ( O p e r a t i o n CASTLE) n o fur ther increase in the t r i t ium content w a s f o u n d d u r i n g 1954 and 1955. It s h o w s instead a seasonal var iat ion with l o w tr i t ium content in s u m m e r and a b o u t a t h r e e f o l d h igher o n e in winter . S i m u l t a n e o u s l y , there is a g o o d co r re la t i on b e t w e e n the tr i t ium a n d d e u t e r i u m c o n c e n t r a t i o n s . F r o m 1956 on a n o t i c e a b l e increase in the t r i t ium c o n t e n t d u e to m o r e m a n m a d e H T p r o d u c e d or re leased by t h e r m o n u c l e a r d e v i c e s into the a t m o s p h e r e was f o u n d , in a g r e e m e n t with m e a s u r e m e n t s by GONSIOR. A p o s s i b l e e x p l a n a t i o n of the e x p e r i m e n t a l results as we l l as a m o d e to test the val idity of the m o d e l sugges ted is g iven . T h e d e u t e r i u m c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of the s a m p l e s a n a l y s e d vary b e t w e e n a b o u t + 7 p e r c e n t and — 17 per cent , c o m p a r e d to S t a n d a r d L a k e M i c h i g a n W a t e r w ith a ratio D / H = 0 .0148 ± 0 . 0002 m o ! percent . A l t h o u g h f r o m these results on ly a c o r r e l a t i o n f a c t o r b e t w e e n the tr i t ium and d e u t e r i u m content o f " m e a n a t m o s p h e r i c h y d r o g e n " and not their abso lu te values c a n be der ived it is o b v i o u s that a t m o s p h e r i c h y d r o g e n and the water v a p o u r o f the a t m o s p h e r e are not in t h e r m o d y n a m i c equ i l ibr ium. as has b e e n p o i n t e d out b e f o r e by HARTECK and SUESS.