A nuclear approach to chemical oceanography

The feasibility of automated analysis using a Californium-252 neutron source has been studied. Both prompt gamma and decay gamma analysis are considered. sensitivities are tabulated for 25 elements in sea water. System parameters affecting sensitivity are presented for extrapolation toother designs. The effect of sampling frequency and desired sensitivity on automatic sample handling, counting and data processing is discussed. We conclude that a few elements can be analyzed directly from sea water, but most will require a preliminary chemical separation-concentration step. Rapid means of performing this operation are shown.