Studies on Iodine Trapping by Water Systems at Studsvik

Devell, L.; Hesbol, R.; Bachofner, E.

doi:10.13182/nt71-a16258

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Explanations for the different appearance of the Chernobyl 236 U peaks between the two cores include: (1) the coarser sediment resolution and more scavenged 236 U (soluble global-fallout-derived and reactor-derived 236 U in seawater) in ∼1986 segment of the Gotland Basin sediment core flatten the Chernobyl 236 U peak; (2) the Landsort Deep is closer to the regions that were highly contaminated by the Chernobyl fallout and received more Chernobyl fallouts than the Gotland Basin; (3) Chernobyl-derived 236 U was deposited to the Baltic sediments as “hot particles” and therefore was not always “captured” by 10 cm diameter sediment cores. About 3–4 tons of nuclear fuel were reported to be released to the atmosphere by the Chernobyl accident as particulate forms, , and fuel fragments with diameter of 2–20 μm were found in Finland and Sweden. , Unlike the 137 Cs activities that declined gradually after 1986, the 236 U/ 238 U atomic ratios in the Landsort Deep composite core quickly decreased to the pre-Chernobyl level. A similar phenomenon was also seen for Chernobyl-derived 241 Am ( t 1/2 = 458 yr) of the Gotland Basin sediment core, which mainly originated from the decay of Chernobyl-derived 241 Pu ( t 1/2 = 14.2 yr) .…”

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confidence: 99%

70-Year Anthropogenic Uranium Imprints of Nuclear Activities in Baltic Sea Sediments

Lin

Qiao

Hou

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Strongly strati ed water structure and densely populated catchment make the Baltic Sea one of the most polluted seas. Understanding its circulation pattern and time scale is essential to predict the dynamics of hypoxia, eutrophication, and pollutants. Anthropogenic 236 U and 233 U have been demonstrated as excellent transient tracers in oceanic studies, but unclear input history and inadequate long-term monitoring records limit their application in the Baltic Sea. From two dated Baltic sediment cores, we obtained high-resolution records of anthropogenic uranium imprints originated from three major human nuclear activities throughout the Atomic Era. Using the novel 233 U/ 236 U signature, we distinguished and quanti ed 236 U inputs from global fallout (43.3%-50.5%), Chernobyl accident (< 0.9%), and discharges of civil nuclear industry (48.6%-56.7%) to the Baltic Sea. We estimated the total release of 233 U (7-15kg) from the atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, and pinpointed 233 U peak signal in the mid-to-late 1950s as a potential time marker for the onset of the Anthropocene Epoch. This work also provides fundamental 236 U data for Chernobyl accident and early discharges from civil nuclear facilities, prompting worldwide 233 U-236 U tracer studies. We anticipate our data to be a broader application in model-observation interdisciplinary research on water circulation and pollutant dynamics in the Baltic Sea.

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