Worldwide marine radioactivity studies (WOMARS): Radionuclide

6,10

MB

levels in oceans and seas

194

stron

2497

ID

International Atomic Energy Agency

2005

rok

CONTENTS

SUMMARY 1

1. INTRODUCTION3

2. INPUT OF ANTHROPOGENIC RADIONUCLIDES INTO THE WORLD OCEAN . 5

2.1. Nuclear weapons testing.5

2.2. Nuclear reprocessing 9

2.3. The Chernobyl accident.. 9

2.4. Other nuclear accidents 13

2.5. Sea dumping ..13

2.6. Use of radioisotopes .. 14

2.7. Hypothetical and potential inputs 14

2.8. River runoff 14

2.9. Summary of inputs.. 15

3. PROCESSES AFFECTING RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS AND INVENTORIES IN THE

OCEANS. 16

3.1. Radionuclides as oceanographic tracers .. 16

3.2. Fate of conservative vs. particle-reactive radionuclides.. 19

3.3. Variations in activity ratios. 20

3.4. Variations in inventory . 20

4. PACIFIC OCEAN .23

4.1. Overview .23

4.2. Radionuclides in the Pacific Ocean 24

4.3. Distribution of radionuclides in surface water and sediment 29

4.3.1. Surface water . 29

4.3.2. Sediment .. 30

4.4. Surface water radionuclide time series . 36

4.5. Water column radionuclide time series 53

4.6. Radionuclide inventories .64

4.6.1. Water inventories. 64

4.6.2. Sediment inventories.. 64

4.7. Radionuclides in the Far Eastern Seas.. 73

4.7.1. Sea of Japan/East Sea 73

4.7.2. The Sea of Okhotsk. 76

4.7.3. The Yellow and East China Seas. 76

5. INDIAN AND SOUTHERN OCEANS . 82

5.1. Radionuclides in surface water. 82

5.2. Surface water radionuclide time series . 83

5.3. Radionuclides in the water column 84

6. ATLANTIC AND ARCTIC OCEANS.. 97

6.1. Surface water radionuclide time series in the Atlantic Ocean.. 98

6.2. Water column radionuclide time series in the Atlantic Ocean .. 105

6.3. Inventories of 90Sr and 137Cs in the NE Atlantic .. 105

6.4. Radionuclides in northern European seas. 106

6.4.1. The Irish Sea 124

6.4.2. The North Sea . 124

6.4.3. The Baltic Sea. 125

6.4.4. The Arctic Seas.. 125

6.5. Radionuclides in the Mediterranean Sea .. 128

6.5.1. Surface water radionuclide time series .. 129

6.5.2. Recent data on 137Cs and 239,240Pu in the water column of the Mediterranean Sea 131

6.5.3. Water column radionuclide time series . 133

6.5.4. Radionuclide inventories in the water column of the Mediterranean Sea 133

6.5.5. Radionuclide inventories in the deep Mediterranean Sea. 137

7. CONCLUSIONS . 137

REFERENCES. 145

ANNEX I. TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS FOR 90Sr AND 137Cs FOR DOSE CALCULATIONS .. 153

ANNEX II. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS PUBLISHED BY THE IAEA-MEL/RML STAFF ON

WORLDWIDE MARINE RADIOACTIVITY STUDIES. 159

ANNEX III. 137Cs, 90Sr AND 239,240 Pu BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE PACIFIC AND INDIAN

OCEANS 163

CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW.. 187