Natural radionuclides and 137Cs activity concentration in the bottom sediment cores from Kuwait Bay

The activity concentration of natural radionuclides and Cs-137 in the bottom sediments cores from Kuwait Bay have been determined by gamma-ray spectrometry. Particular attention was devoted to the exact determination of two uranium isotopes: U-235 and U-238 in order to find any presence of depleted uranium dispersed during the 1991 Gulf War. The calculated U-238/U-235 activity ratios for all the surface (15 cm) as well as the core profile (up to 70 cm in depth) samples were within the limit of one standard deviation, close to the value of 21.5 for natural uranium. Simultaneous instrumental determination of the unsupported Pb-210 and Ra-226 in a few sediment core profiles was used for quantification of sediment accumulation rates. The calculated sedimentation rates (for the constant atmospheric Pb-210 flux rate - CRS model) ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 cm . gamma(-1) and were close to the data calculated by the Weibull distribution of Cs-137 in undisturbed sediment cores.