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Geoecological investigations of artificial radionuclides in the aquatic system of the Ob River and Kara Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2009

O. Stepanets
Affiliation:
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
A. Borisov
Affiliation:
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
A. Ligaev
Affiliation:
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
A. Travkina
Affiliation:
Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
J. Brown
Affiliation:
Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority
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Abstract

Numerous studies have considered whether run-off from large Siberian rivers, in particular the Ob River, has the potential to transport radioactive contaminants from the nuclear sites – SPA “Mayak” and Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC), located in the vicinity of these rivers, to distant locations including the Kara Sea.

The plutonium-producing radiochemical plant of SPA ''Mayak'' stored a lot of radioactive wastes in LakeKarachai. Radioelements are carried to the rivers with flood and ground waters [1]. As contaminationis transported, radioactivity is removed through Techa-Iset’-Tobol-Ob river system but has the potentialto reach the Kara Sea and further to other seas within the Arctic basin via ocean currents. The SiberianChemical Combine, is located in Seversk city on the bank of Tom River, that drains into the Ob network.SCC liquid wastes were detected in the Tom River, which flows into the Ob River [2].

In this paper the data of our investigations during last years on studying the radioecological situation in twoparts of the Ob river-Kara Sea aquatic system Ob-Irtysh river’s system and Ob Bay and adjacent part ofthe Kara Sea, with a main focus on the behavior and migration pathways of man-made radionuclides arepresented.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2009

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References

Mironenko, M.V. and Spasennykh, M.Yu, 1994. The cascade of reservoirs of the Mayak plant. Case history and the version of a computer simulate of Report under DOE coorditation committee on environmental restoration and waste management. Lawrence Berkley Laboratory, RAC-1.
Radioactive Waste Disposal in Seas of Russian Federation: Facts and Problems, 1993. Admin. Prez. Ross.Feder., Moscow (in russian).
Stepanets, O., Borisov, A., Ligaev, A., Solovjeva, G., Sisov, E. and Komarevsky, V., 2003. Radionuclides in the water column and surface sediments of the Yenisei River and adjacent Kara Sea shelf, Siberian river run-off in the Kara Sea. In: Proceedings in Marine Sciences, Elsevier Amsterdam, 6.