Preliminary estimates of cumulative caesium and plutonium deposition in the Irish terrestrial environment

Mitchell, P.I.; Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert; Ryan, Tom; McGarry, A.T.; Vidal-Quatras, A.

doi:10.1007/bf02039849

Cited by 64 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In Montagne Noire and Savoie, no precipitation occurred between 1 and 5 May 1986 and our hypothesis was that the artificial radionuclides were mainly coming from nuclear weapon tests (NWT) global fallout. This is confirmed by the mean ratio 137 Cs NWT / 239À240 Pu of 35 (Table 3 esi) compared to the ratios measured by Mitchell et al (1990), Hodge et al (1996) and Bunzl and Kracke (1988) between 28 and 33. Excess 137 Cs with respect to Pu isotopes observed in other mountainous area, like for example Jura ( 137 Cs/ 239À240 Pu$44-116), is accounted for Chernobyl radiocesium deposition.…”

Section: Contributions Of Surface Air To Aerosol Deposited In Mountaisupporting

confidence: 68%

“…It is now well established that 137 Cs from Chernobyl accident was deposited on soils mainly during raining events at the beginning of May 1986 (Almgren et al, 2006;Mitchell et al, 1990;Renaud et al, 2003). In Montagne Noire and Savoie, no precipitation occurred between 1 and 5 May 1986 and our hypothesis was that the artificial radionuclides were mainly coming from nuclear weapon tests (NWT) global fallout.…”

Section: Contributions Of Surface Air To Aerosol Deposited In Mountaimentioning

confidence: 78%

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Aerosol deposition and origin in French mountains estimated with soil inventories of 210Pb and artificial radionuclides

Roux¹,

Pourcelot²,

Duffa³

et al. 2008

Atmospheric Environment

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Radionuclide inventories were measured in soils from different French mountainous areas: Chaıˆne des Puys (Massif Central), Eastern Corsica, Jura, Montagne Noire, Savoie, Vosges and Rhine Valley. 210 Pb soil inventories were used to estimate long-term (475 yr) deposition of submicron aerosols. Whereas 210 Pb total deposition is explained partly by wet deposition, as demonstrated by increase of 210 Pb inventory with annual rainfall; a part of 210 Pb in the soils of higher altitude is caused by orographic depositions. Using measurements of radionuclides coming from nuclear aerial weapon tests ( 137 Cs and Pu isotopes), we were able to estimate the origin of aerosols deposited in high-altitude sites and to confirm the importance of occult deposition and feeder-seeder mechanism. Using a simple mass balance model, we estimate that occult deposition and feeder-seeder mechanisms account to more than 50% of total deposition of 210 Pb and associated submicron aerosols in French altitude sites.

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Section: Contributions Of Surface Air To Aerosol Deposited In Mountaisupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Contributions Of Surface Air To Aerosol Deposited In Mountaimentioning

confidence: 78%

Aerosol deposition and origin in French mountains estimated with soil inventories of 210Pb and artificial radionuclides

Roux¹,

Pourcelot²,

Duffa³

et al. 2008

Atmospheric Environment

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“…With respect to large scale distribution of atmospheric fallout previous studies reported a correlation between the mean annual rainfall and soil 137 Cs or Pu inventories (Mitchell et al, 1990;Hölgye and Filgas, 1995;Wright et al, 1999). Touazi et al (2004) showed that parameters such as location of pluviometer and especially altitude explain 67% of the variance when mapping mean precipitation amount.…”

Section: Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lower variability of radionuclide activities in upland dairy products compared to soils and vegetation: Implication for environmental survey

2007

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Contamination of the environment by radionuclides is usually estimated using soil and grass sampling. However, radionuclides are often not homogeneously distributed in soils. In the alpine Mercantour region (Western Alps, France) a large heterogeneity in Chernobyl 137 Cs deposition has been previously observed. Sr contents are less variable in milk samples than in grass or soil samples. This can be attributed to the homogenization effect of cow vagrancy during grazing. Hence milk seems to be a more robust sample than soil or grass to evaluate the extent of contamination on a regional scale. We explore this idea by comparing own unpublished 90 Sr results and 90 Sr results from the literature to establish the relationship between altitude of grazing and contamination of soil and milk for Western Europe. There is a significant positive correlation between soil contamination and altitude and an even closer correlation between milk 90 Sr activity (A) and altitude (h): A = A 0 + e kAEh where A 0 is the expected activity of milk sampled at sea level (A 0 = 0.064 ± 0.014 Bq g À1Ca) and h is the altitude of grazing, k being a constant (k = 0.95 · 10 À3 ± 0.11 · 10 À3 m À1 Bq g À1 Ca). The fact that there is less scattering in the relationship for the 90 Sr milk -altitude than for 90 Sr soil -altitude suggests, again, that milk is a well-suited sample for environmental survey. The relationship between the altitude of grazing and the 90 Sr content of milk and cheese can also be used to assess the authenticity of dairy products.

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“…This model uses at a one year scale atmospheric cumulative deposits on the whole Rhône watershed and solid matter flow rates at the lower course of the River as reported in Noël (1996), Thomas (1996) and Duffa (2001). Regarding cesium isotope fluxes towards the Rhône river, atmospheric cumulative cesium deposits were calculated using the model of Mitchell et al (1990) and the mean annual rainfall on 650 stations of Météo-France and from Renaud et al (2004). Activities within the liquid releases from the Marcoule plant were obtained from Charmasson (1998Charmasson ( ) until 1996 and from the COGEMA reports until 2002 (Levy, 1996(Levy, -2002.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results show generally a Marcoule isotopic signature in waters as activity ratios observed over years are similar to those characterizing Marcoule liquid effluents with some exceptions in 1986, 1987 and 1990-1992. Indeed the relationship between the 137 Cs activities measured in waters (whole fraction) and the Marcoule releases shows significant high activities in 1986, 1987, 1990and from 1997to 2002). This means …”

Section: Chronologie Des Apports De Quelques Radionucléides Rejetés Pmentioning

confidence: 98%

Origins and levels of artificial radionuclides within the Rhône river waters (France) for the last forty years: Towards an evaluation of the radioecological sensitivy of river systems

et al. 2005

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Preliminary estimates of cumulative caesium and plutonium deposition in the Irish terrestrial environment

Cited by 64 publications

References 6 publications

Aerosol deposition and origin in French mountains estimated with soil inventories of 210Pb and artificial radionuclides

Aerosol deposition and origin in French mountains estimated with soil inventories of 210Pb and artificial radionuclides

Lower variability of radionuclide activities in upland dairy products compared to soils and vegetation: Implication for environmental survey

Origins and levels of artificial radionuclides within the Rhône river waters (France) for the last forty years: Towards an evaluation of the radioecological sensitivy of river systems

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