Petter Wulff
The Rise and Fall of Radioactive Carbon in the Atmosphere
ICON: Journal of the International Committee for the History of Technology 28, no. 2 (2023): 118–127.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11590/icon.2023.2.06
Abstract
The article examines the dramatic changes in atmospheric radioactive carbon dioxide since the mid-twentieth century. Atmospheric nuclear weapons testing caused a substantial increase in radioactive carbon, reaching its maximum in the early 1960s. Since the end of atmospheric testing, levels have gradually declined and are now close to those recorded before the nuclear-test era.
The study discusses the different phases of this curve, with particular attention to developments after atmospheric nuclear testing ceased, and considers what the subsequent behaviour of radioactive carbon may imply for discussions of climate change.