Chapter 4 Overview of point sources of anthropogenic radionuclides in the oceans

Linsley, G.; Sjöblom, Kirsti-Liisa; Cabianca, T.

doi:10.1016/s1569-4860(05)80005-1

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The Arctic Seas were dominated by 90 Sr and 137 Cs, as well as 60 Co, 63 Ni, and 152 Eu, representing 86% and 12% of the total inventory, respectively. Low-level radioactive waste dumped at the Northeast Atlantic sites and the high-level radioactive waste dumped by the former Soviet Union in the Arctic Seas and in the Pacific Ocean account for more than 93% of the activity of all the radioactive material dumped at sea [ 6 , 7 , 41 ].…”

Section: Radioactive Waste Dumping At Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Marine Waste—Sources, Fate, Risks, Challenges and Research Needs

Dąbrowska

Sobota

Świąder

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The article presents a comprehensive and cross-cutting review of key marine waste issues, taking into account: sources, fate, risks, transport pathways, threats, legislation, current challenges, and knowledge gaps. The growing amount of both human-created waste in seas and oceans and waste reaching marine ecosystems from land is one of today’s challenges for the global economy and the European Union. It is predicted that if no decisive steps are taken to limit the amount of this type of waste, there may be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans after 2050. The influence of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms remains undiagnosed. Within the international and EU law, solutions are being developed to properly manage waste on board ships and to reduce the impact of processes related to the recycling of the vessels on the environment. Currently, over 80% of ships are dismantled in the countries of South Asia, in conditions that threaten the environment and the safety of workers. After World War 2, large quantities of chemical weapons were deposited in the seas. Steel containers with dangerous substances residing in the sea for over 70 years have begun leaking, thus polluting water. For many years, radioactive waste had also been dumped into marine ecosystems, although since 1993 there has been a total ban on such disposal of radionuclides. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marine waste generation has also been presented as a significant factor influencing marine waste generation and management.

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Section: Radioactive Waste Dumping At Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

“… The location of ocean garbage patches, the global inventory of radioactive waste disposal at sea (total amounts in petabequerels per region) and chemical weapons dumped at sea. Data sources: [ 7 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], administrative boundaries in shapefile format were obtained from Eurostat’s geodata database [ 43 ]. …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Marine Waste—Sources, Fate, Risks, Challenges and Research Needs

Dąbrowska

Sobota

Świąder

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…This event represents the most important artificial radioactive liquid release flux into the sea ever known on a short time and space scale basis (Aarkrog, 2003;Linsley et al, 2005;Livingston and Povinec, 2000; Table 2; Buesseler et al, 2011). Liquid controlled releases from the Sellafield reprocessing plant could be compared in term of total quantities, but they occur during several years (1970e1980) instead of weeks and months for Fukushima accident.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of marine source-term following Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

Bois

Laguionie

Boust

et al. 2012

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

214

113

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Contamination of the marine environment following the accident in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant represented the most important artificial radioactive release flux into the sea ever known. The radioactive marine pollution came from atmospheric fallout onto the ocean, direct release of contaminated water from the plant and transport of radioactive pollution from leaching through contaminated soil. In the immediate vicinity of the plant (less than 500 m), the seawater concentrations reached 68,000 Bq.L(-1) for (134)Cs and (137)Cs, and exceeded 100,000 Bq.L(-1) for (131)I in early April. Due to the accidental context of the releases, it is difficult to estimate the total amount of radionuclides introduced into seawater from data obtained in the plant. An evaluation is proposed here, based on measurements performed in seawater for monitoring purposes. Quantities of (137)Cs in seawater in a 50-km area around the plant were calculated from interpolation of seawater measurements. The environmental halftime of seawater in this area is deduced from the time-evolution of these quantities. This halftime appeared constant at about 7 days for (137)Cs. These data allowed estimation of the amount of principal marine inputs and their evolution in time: a total of 27 PBq (12 PBq-41 PBq) of (137)Cs was estimated up to July 18. Even though this main release may be followed by residual inputs from the plant, river runoff and leakage from deposited sediments, it represents the principal source-term that must be accounted for future studies of the consequences of the accident on marine systems. The (137)Cs from Fukushima will remain detectable for several years throughout the North Pacific, and (137)Cs/(134)Cs ratio will be a tracer for future studies.

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“…The radionuclides released through weapons-testing were carried throughout the globe and have been identified as present in the most remote regions of the earth (Park et al 1983;Strand 1998). Accidental discharge of radionuclides (such as occurred during the Chernobyl incident in 1986 and the Fukushima incident in 2011, and as a consequence of losses of nuclear-powered ships) and intentional release of radionuclides from the discharge of radioactive wastes from nuclear reprocessing plants (for example Sellafield in the UK) and other nuclear facilities have resulted in greatly increased concentrations of some radionuclides (such as 137 Cs and 239 Pu) in some marine waters, usually localized (Linsley et al 2004;Vintro et al 2004). Additionally, there has been serious interest in using the seabed as a disposal option for long-lived radioactive wastes emanating from the nuclear fuel cycle (Hollister et al 1981;Miller et al 2000).…”

Section: Radionuclidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interdisciplinary approaches for addressing marine contamination issues

Fisher

Chen

2011

Envir. Conserv.

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SUMMARYDiverse chemical and biological processes in the oceans and atmosphere, the planet's most global domains, determine the fate and effects of marine contaminants and outbreaks of marine nuisance species. Understanding these problems requires the identification of environmental variables that influence ecological and human effects, the ability to predict spatial and temporal occurrences, and development of integrative interdisciplinary and mechanistic models for predicting their occurrences and severity. These endeavours require collaborative efforts of physical, chemical, biological and biomedical scientists working in interdisciplinary teams. There are numerous examples of interdisciplinary research conducted in marine systems on marine contaminants, including those contaminants released from the Earth's crust by human activities, those that are almost exclusively man-made in origin, and those that are biological contaminants often exacerbated by human activities. While interdisciplinary teams of researchers have greatly advanced the study of marine systems in some of these areas, there are still many barriers to interdisciplinary approaches in marine science, including disciplinary biases and institutional structures. A number of mechanisms are recommended that could support and enhance the ability of researchers to conduct interdisciplinary research in marine science, including the establishment of core facilities that can be used to support different teams of collaborating scientists, establishment of appropriate organizational structures, and promotion of seminars and symposia that emphasize interdisciplinary approaches.

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Chapter 4 Overview of point sources of anthropogenic radionuclides in the oceans

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

Marine Waste—Sources, Fate, Risks, Challenges and Research Needs

Marine Waste—Sources, Fate, Risks, Challenges and Research Needs

Estimation of marine source-term following Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

Interdisciplinary approaches for addressing marine contamination issues

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