No abstract

The first post-Chernobyl measurements of vertical distribution of 137 Cs in the abyssal Black Sea waters have been conducted in the vicinity of submarine canyon Viteaz together with profiling of 90 Sr. This allowed showing an increase in 137 Cs concentration and the low 90 Sr/ 137 Cs activity ratio (&0.2) at 1,000 m water depth, suggesting the long-distance influence of the Danube River runoff through the Viteaz Canyon. Calculation of inventories of 90 Sr and 137 Cs in oxic and anoxic Black Sea waters and their comparison with the total input of these radionuclides to the Black Sea after the Chernobyl accident have revealed considerable accumulation of them in the deep water column.