title: A new technique for processing airborne gamma ray spectrometry data for mapping low level contaminations.
abstract: A new technique for processing airborne gamma ray spectrometry data has been developed. It is based on the noise adjusted singular value decomposition method introduced by Hovgaard in 1997. The new technique opens for mapping of very low contamination levels. It is tested with data from Latvia where the remaining contamination from the 1986 Chernobyl accident together with fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests includes 137Cs at levels often well below 1 kBq/m2 equivalent surface contamination. The limiting factors for obtaining reliable results are radon in the air, spectrum stability and accurate altitude measurements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Automation, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. hka@iau.dtu.dk
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Aage
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Korsbech
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bargholz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hovgaard
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D002138:Calibration; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D007844:Latvia; D011210:Power Plants; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma / Q000379:methods*; D014455:Ukraine
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes