Spatial variability in sedimentation rates and artificial radionuclide storage in alluvial banks of the lower Rhône River

Provansal, Mireille; Ferrand, Emmanuelle; Eyrolle, Frédérique; Raccasi, Guillaume; Monaco, MMathieu; Gurriarán, R.

doi:10.1007/s00027-012-0257-4

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Our results therefore confirm the previous identification of increased radionuclide discharge by the Mühleberg NPP in 1976 ( 137 Cs) and 1982 ( 60 Co). However, regarding the 1982 event, our data is not as definite as Albrecht et al (1998Albrecht et al ( , 1999 because Rhône River also demonstrated that radionuclides released by the nuclear industry are dispersed through surface waters over long distances (Martin and Thomas 1990;Provansal et al 2012;Ferrand et al 2012;Albrecht et al 1998).…”

Section: Element Fluxes For Tracking Anthropogenic Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…The contamination of fluvial waters by liquid releases from Swiss and French nuclear installations and the long-term retention of long-lived radionuclides have also been evidenced in surface and overbank sediments from some of the major European rivers (e.g. Rhine, Rhône and Moselle Rivers) (Mundschenk 1992(Mundschenk , 1996Provansal et al 2012;Ferrand et al 2012). However, despite major concerns for human health and the environment, continuous and well-dated sedimentary records reconstructing the historical deposition of anthropogenic radionuclides released by the nuclear industry are still scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

et al. 2013

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Terrigenous (Sc, Fe, K, Mg, Al, Ti) and anthropogenic (Pb and Cu) element fluxes were measured in a new sediment core from Lake Biel (Switzerland) and in previously well-documented cores from two upstream lakes (Lake Brienz and Lake Thun). These three large perialpine lakes are connected by the Aare River, which is the main tributary to the High Rhine River. Major and trace element analysis of the sediment cores by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) shows that the site of Lake Brienz receives three times more terrigenous elements than the two other studied sites, given by the role of Lake Brienz as the first major sediment sink located in the foothills of the Alps. Overall, the terrigenous fluxes reconstructed at the three studied sites suggest that the construction of sediment-trapping reservoirs during the twentieth century noticeably decreased the riverine suspended sediment load at a regional scale. In fact, the extensive river damming that occurred in the upstream watershed catchment (between ca. 1930 and 1950 and up to 2,300 m a.s.l.) and that significantly modified seasonal suspended sediment loads and riverine water discharge patterns to downstream lakes noticeably diminished the long-range transport of (fine) terrigenous particles by the Aare River. Concerning the transport of anthropogenic pollutants, the lowest lead enrichment factors (EFs Pb) were measured in the upstream course of the Aare River at the site of Lake Brienz, whereas the metal pollution was highest in downstream Lake Biel, with the maximum values measured between 1940 and 1970 (EF Pb [ 3). The following recorded regional reduction in aquatic Pb pollution started about 15 years before the actual introduction of unleaded gasoline in 1985. Furthermore, the radiometric dating of the sediment core from Lake Biel identifies three events of hydrological transport of artificial radionuclides released by the nuclear reactor of Mühleberg located at more than 15 km upstream of Lake Biel for the time period 1970-2000.

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Section: Element Fluxes For Tracking Anthropogenic Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

et al. 2013

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“…Activities of 137 Cs and 241 Am vary towards maximum values ranging from 47.3 to 73.2 Bq/kg between 233 and 139 cm highlighting the chronical releases from the spent fuel reprocessing plant (Marcoule). Those industrial releases culminated over the 1963–1990 period and partially masked the Chernobyl accident contribution 61 , 62 . By using these chronological benchmarks, estimated ASR amount to 2.4, 3.6 and 4.5 cm/y for the periods 1955–1963, 1963–1990 and 1990–2020, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal trajectories of artificial radiocaesium 137Cs in French rivers over the nuclear era reconstructed from sediment cores

Eyrolle,

Chaboche,

Lepage

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Abstract137Cs is a long-lived man-made radionuclide introduced in the environment worldwide at the early beginning of the nuclear Era during atmospheric nuclear testing’s followed by the civil use of nuclear energy. Atmospheric fallout deposition of this major artificial radionuclide was reconstructed at the scale of French large river basins since 1945, and trajectories in French nuclearized rivers were established using sediment coring. Our results show that 137Cs contents in sediments of the studied rivers display a large spatial and temporal variability in response to the various anthropogenic pressures exerted on their catchment. The Loire, Rhone, and Rhine rivers were the most affected by atmospheric fallout from the global deposition from nuclear tests. Rhine and Rhone also received significant fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and recorded significant 137Cs concentrations in their sediments over the 1970–1985 period due to the regulatory releases from the nuclear industries. The Meuse River was notably impacted in the early 1970s by industrial releases. In contrast, the Seine River display the lowest 137Cs concentrations regardless of the period. All the rivers responded similarly over time to atmospheric fallout on their catchment, underlying a rather homogeneous resilience capacity of these river systems to this source of contamination.

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“…At the lower course of the river numerous studies have been dedicated to solid fluxes and associated contaminants with a particular emphasis on floods since such events have been shown to play a fundamental role on fluxes of suspended sediment [3][4][5], trace and major elements [2,5,6] and artificial radionuclides [7]. Studies also focused on sediment and contaminant storages and dynamics in alluvial margins [7][8][9], and allowed to assess the origins and subsequent levels of artificial radionuclides [10]. Concerning the Rhone River, only very scare data have been published for particle bound naturally occurring radionuclides and, to our knowledge, none refers to the soluble phase [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of naturally occurring radionuclides in the Lower Rhone River (France): preliminary results from suspended solid monitoring

Zebracki

Eyrolle

Cagnat

et al. 2013

Water Resources Management VII

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Long term time series acquired in the frame of radioecological monitoring programmes are useful tools for exploring the variability of naturally occurring radionuclide contents. The data set was established in order to investigate the role of discharge, flood type and flood chronicles on such variability within the suspended sediments. Preliminary results show that radionuclide geochemical properties as well as suspended sediment nature and particle residence time may in some particular cases significantly affect the U-Th series nuclide equilibrium.

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Spatial variability in sedimentation rates and artificial radionuclide storage in alluvial banks of the lower Rhône River

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

Human impact on the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic elements to peri-alpine lakes (Switzerland) over the last decades

Temporal trajectories of artificial radiocaesium 137Cs in French rivers over the nuclear era reconstructed from sediment cores

Characterisation of naturally occurring radionuclides in the Lower Rhone River (France): preliminary results from suspended solid monitoring

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