Technogenic Radioactivity of Waters in the Central Arctic Basin and Adjacent Water Areas

Matishov, G. G.; Kasatkina, N. E.; Usyagina, I. S.

doi:10.1134/s1028334x19030073

Cited by 13 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…This sea might be considered the cleanest one compared to other studied ones, constituting a conditional raw of the technogenic contamination's degree in the direction from the Kara and Laptev Seas towards the East Siberian Sea. This pattern agrees well with [74].…”

Section: Cs-137 In the Arctic Seas' Sedimentssupporting

confidence: 87%

The Features of Distribution of Chemical Elements, including Heavy Metals and Cs-137, in Surface Sediments of the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas

et al. 2022

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Over the recent few decades, due to climate warming and the continuing exploration of Arctic seas’ mineral resources, the scientific interest in contamination problems has deepened significantly. In this study, for the first time, we characterize the distribution features of 47 elements (major and trace elements, including heavy metals, metalloid As, and Cs-137 technogenic radionuclide) in surface bottom sediments from some areas of the Barents, Kara, Laptev, and East-Siberian Seas. The lithogenic material was the main factor that controlled variability in many elements (Be, Al, Ti, Cr, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, REE, Pb, Th, U, W, and Cs). Among the hydrogenic processes, the formation of Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides has the greatest impact on the Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ge, and Mo, and insignificantly V and Sb, variability in sediments. These, along with minor to moderate values of enrichment factor (EF) for most elements, allowed us to conclude that the observed element distribution is related to predominantly natural processes of thermal abrasion, river-run, and atmospheric input. The exception is As, which exhibited the elevated EF (up to 20) in the western and central Kara Sea, as well as in the Vilkitsky Strait. Since no significant relationship between As and Fe andMn oxyhydroxides distribution was found, we may assume primarily an anthropogenic source of As, related to the peat and/or coal combustion. According to the criteria of Ecological Risks assessment, all the examined areas have a low degree of risk. Data on the specific activity of Cs-137 correspond to the background average values characteristic for these regions. The highest levels of Cs-137 concentration (Bq/kg) were detected in the sediments of the Ob and Yenisei Rivers’ estuaries.

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Section: Cs-137 In the Arctic Seas' Sedimentssupporting

confidence: 87%

The Features of Distribution of Chemical Elements, including Heavy Metals and Cs-137, in Surface Sediments of the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas

et al. 2022

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“…In the arctic and subarctic areas of Russia, radioactive pollution is a significant factor among the many environmental problems [11,12]. For example, the northwestern sector of the Russian subarctic region is characterized by a significant number of radiation-hazardous sites, both active and with the status of "nuclear heritage sites" [13,14], the most important of which are radioactive fallout from nuclear tests, including on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, pollution from Western European radiochemical plants in the UK and France, the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the activities of nuclear shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises, nuclear ship and submarine bases, and the activities of nuclear power plants and submarines [13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity Concentrations of Cs-137, Sr-90, Am-241, Pu-238, and Pu-239+240 and an Assessment of Pollution Sources Based on Isotopic Ratio Calculations and the HYSPLIT Model in Tundra Landscapes (Subarctic Zone of Russia)

Puchkov,

Yakovlev

2023

Applied Sciences

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The paper is devoted to the assessment of the content of anthropogenic radionuclides in tundra landscapes of the subarctic zone of Russia. The authors of the article studied the features of accumulation and migration of anthropogenic radionuclides and identified probable sources of their entry into environmental objects. Peat samples were collected on the territory of the Kaninskaya Tundra of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Northwest Russia). A total of 46 samples were taken. The following parameters were determined in each peat sample: (1) activity and pollution density of anthropogenic radionuclides; (2) isotopic ratios of anthropogenic radionuclides; (3) activity ratios of each radionuclide for layers 10–20 cm and 0–10 cm. The results of the studies showed that the pollution density of the Nes River basin with the radionuclides Cs-137 and Sr-90 is up to 4.85 × 103 Bq×m−2 and 1.88 × 103 Bq×m−2, respectively, which is 2–5 times higher than the available data for the Kanin tundra, as well as for Russia and the world as a whole. The data obtained for Am-241, Pu-238, and Pu-239+240 showed insignificant activity of these radionuclides and generally correspond to the values for other tundra areas in Russia and the world. It was found that some tundra areas (“peat lowlands”) are characterized by increased radionuclide content due to the process of accumulation and migration along the vertical profile. Calculations of isotope ratios Sr-90/Cs-137, Pu-238/Pu-239+240, Pu-239+240/Cs-137, Am-241/Pu-239+240 and air mass trajectories based on the HYSPLIT model showed that the main sources of anthropogenic radionuclide contamination are global atmospheric fallout and the Chernobyl accident.

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2022

Marine Radioecology

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Technogenic Radioactivity of Waters in the Central Arctic Basin and Adjacent Water Areas

Cited by 13 publications

References 4 publications

The Features of Distribution of Chemical Elements, including Heavy Metals and Cs-137, in Surface Sediments of the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas

The Features of Distribution of Chemical Elements, including Heavy Metals and Cs-137, in Surface Sediments of the Barents, Kara, Laptev and East Siberian Seas

Activity Concentrations of Cs-137, Sr-90, Am-241, Pu-238, and Pu-239+240 and an Assessment of Pollution Sources Based on Isotopic Ratio Calculations and the HYSPLIT Model in Tundra Landscapes (Subarctic Zone of Russia)

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