| Popis: |
The weathering of rocks and soil causes uranium to collect in groundwater. In this article, we attempted to assess the activity concentrations of uranium and 234U/238U isotopic ratios in various groundwater samples and plants obtained from the Ha’il region, Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the concentrations of 238U ranged between 0.08 ± 0.04 and 1.11 ± 0.06 Bq L−1, with an average of 0.67 ± 0.05 Bq L−1. Activity concentrations of 234U ranged between 0.12 ± 0.01 and 2.2 ± 0.8 Bq L−1, with an average of 1.26 ± 0.11 Bq L−1. The international permissible limit of uranium in groundwater is 0.372 Bq L−1. The 234U/238U activity ratios in the collected groundwater samples ranged between 1.5 ± 0.09 and 2.49 ± 1.27 Bq L−1, with an average of 1.95 ± 0.52 Bq L−1. In fruit-bearing trees, the 234U/238U activity ratios were 1.57 ± 0.84, 2.58 ± 1.01, and 2.69 ± 0.95 Bq L−1 for lemon, fig, and narenj. In fruit-bearing shrubs, the 234U/238U activity ratios were 2.37± 0.69 and 2.68 ± 0.69 Bq L−1 for green pepper and eggplant. Our goal is to increase the understanding of the factors that govern uranium’s activity and isotopic composition to better understand its prospective utilization as a tracer in groundwater chemistry and hydrology, as well as the possibility of exploiting this area for irrigation. In this investigation area, the groundwater and plants were unfit for human consumption. |
