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THE CONTAMINATION OF THE NORTH SEA AND BALTIC SEA BY THE CHERNOBYL FALLOUT H. Nies, Ch. Wedekind Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 78 D-2000 Hamburg 4 Federal Republic of Germany ABSTRACT The German Hydrographic Institute (DHI) investigated the Cher-nobyl Fallout in the North- and the Baltic Sea. After the radioactive cloud has reached the southern North Sea at 3 May and the western Baltic at 5 May, a great deal of different radionuc-lides could be determined in the marine environment, such as Cs134, Cs 137, Ru 103, Ru 106, Zr/Nb 95, Ba/La 140, 1131, Te/I 132. Nuclides with lower activity levels have been Sr 90, Pu 239/240, Pu 238, Am 241, Cm 242, Mo/Tc 99, Ce 141, Ce144, and Ag 110m. During several cruises to the North Sea and to the Baltic Sea the levels of the contamination by this Fallout could be detected. The Chernobyl Fallout is discernable from other sources of artificial radioactivity in the North Sea and the Baltic sea byits typical Cs134/137 activity ratio. The relatively fast water movement along the coast of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany renewed the Chernobyl contaminated water of the southern North Sea within 4 months after the accident by uncontaminated water from the Channel. However, in the German Bight itself Chernobyl Fallout is still to be identify in December 1986, which is due to runoff of the river Elbe. During an internationally co-ordinated monitoring programme in October/November 1986 the different levels of the Chernobyl Fallout could be determined in the entire Baltic Sea. The highest contamination levels were measured in the southern part of the Bothnian Sea with up to 800 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the western Baltic and in the Baltic Proper the contamination of the Sea is relatively low with about 40 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the Baltic Proper the Chernobyl contamination has not yet reached the water below the halocline. However, in the Bothnian Bay an almost homogenious mixing down the water column can be established. INTRODUCTION Prior to the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl the concen-trations of artificial radionuclides in the North Sea were mainly influenced by the discharges from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at La Hague (France) and Sellafield Works (United Kingdom). In the Baltic Sea, these radionuclides were transported only to a slight extent by particular weather and hydrographic conditions, so that the radioactive inventory of the Baltic Sea was determined by nuclear weapon Fallout of the sixties. The Chernobyl accident has considerably increased and changed the inventory of artificial radionuclides in the marine environment of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In the following
DOI link for THE CONTAMINATION OF THE NORTH SEA AND BALTIC SEA BY THE CHERNOBYL FALLOUT H. Nies, Ch. Wedekind Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 78 D-2000 Hamburg 4 Federal Republic of Germany ABSTRACT The German Hydrographic Institute (DHI) investigated the Cher-nobyl Fallout in the North- and the Baltic Sea. After the radioactive cloud has reached the southern North Sea at 3 May and the western Baltic at 5 May, a great deal of different radionuc-lides could be determined in the marine environment, such as Cs134, Cs 137, Ru 103, Ru 106, Zr/Nb 95, Ba/La 140, 1131, Te/I 132. Nuclides with lower activity levels have been Sr 90, Pu 239/240, Pu 238, Am 241, Cm 242, Mo/Tc 99, Ce 141, Ce144, and Ag 110m. During several cruises to the North Sea and to the Baltic Sea the levels of the contamination by this Fallout could be detected. The Chernobyl Fallout is discernable from other sources of artificial radioactivity in the North Sea and the Baltic sea byits typical Cs134/137 activity ratio. The relatively fast water movement along the coast of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany renewed the Chernobyl contaminated water of the southern North Sea within 4 months after the accident by uncontaminated water from the Channel. However, in the German Bight itself Chernobyl Fallout is still to be identify in December 1986, which is due to runoff of the river Elbe. During an internationally co-ordinated monitoring programme in October/November 1986 the different levels of the Chernobyl Fallout could be determined in the entire Baltic Sea. The highest contamination levels were measured in the southern part of the Bothnian Sea with up to 800 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the western Baltic and in the Baltic Proper the contamination of the Sea is relatively low with about 40 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the Baltic Proper the Chernobyl contamination has not yet reached the water below the halocline. However, in the Bothnian Bay an almost homogenious mixing down the water column can be established. INTRODUCTION Prior to the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl the concen-trations of artificial radionuclides in the North Sea were mainly influenced by the discharges from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at La Hague (France) and Sellafield Works (United Kingdom). In the Baltic Sea, these radionuclides were transported only to a slight extent by particular weather and hydrographic conditions, so that the radioactive inventory of the Baltic Sea was determined by nuclear weapon Fallout of the sixties. The Chernobyl accident has considerably increased and changed the inventory of artificial radionuclides in the marine environment of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In the following
THE CONTAMINATION OF THE NORTH SEA AND BALTIC SEA BY THE CHERNOBYL FALLOUT H. Nies, Ch. Wedekind Deutsches Hydrographisches Institut Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 78 D-2000 Hamburg 4 Federal Republic of Germany ABSTRACT The German Hydrographic Institute (DHI) investigated the Cher-nobyl Fallout in the North- and the Baltic Sea. After the radioactive cloud has reached the southern North Sea at 3 May and the western Baltic at 5 May, a great deal of different radionuc-lides could be determined in the marine environment, such as Cs134, Cs 137, Ru 103, Ru 106, Zr/Nb 95, Ba/La 140, 1131, Te/I 132. Nuclides with lower activity levels have been Sr 90, Pu 239/240, Pu 238, Am 241, Cm 242, Mo/Tc 99, Ce 141, Ce144, and Ag 110m. During several cruises to the North Sea and to the Baltic Sea the levels of the contamination by this Fallout could be detected. The Chernobyl Fallout is discernable from other sources of artificial radioactivity in the North Sea and the Baltic sea byits typical Cs134/137 activity ratio. The relatively fast water movement along the coast of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany renewed the Chernobyl contaminated water of the southern North Sea within 4 months after the accident by uncontaminated water from the Channel. However, in the German Bight itself Chernobyl Fallout is still to be identify in December 1986, which is due to runoff of the river Elbe. During an internationally co-ordinated monitoring programme in October/November 1986 the different levels of the Chernobyl Fallout could be determined in the entire Baltic Sea. The highest contamination levels were measured in the southern part of the Bothnian Sea with up to 800 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the western Baltic and in the Baltic Proper the contamination of the Sea is relatively low with about 40 mBq/1 Cs 137. In the Baltic Proper the Chernobyl contamination has not yet reached the water below the halocline. However, in the Bothnian Bay an almost homogenious mixing down the water column can be established. INTRODUCTION Prior to the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl the concen-trations of artificial radionuclides in the North Sea were mainly influenced by the discharges from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at La Hague (France) and Sellafield Works (United Kingdom). In the Baltic Sea, these radionuclides were transported only to a slight extent by particular weather and hydrographic conditions, so that the radioactive inventory of the Baltic Sea was determined by nuclear weapon Fallout of the sixties. The Chernobyl accident has considerably increased and changed the inventory of artificial radionuclides in the marine environment of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. In the following
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