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Anthropogenic radioactivity in the nordic seas and the arctic ocean — results of a joint project

Anthropogene radioaktivität in den nordmeeren und im arktischen ozean — ergebnisse eines forschungsprojektes

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Summary

The paper presents the results of a joint project combining numerical model studies and field work in order to investigate the dispersion of anthropogenic radioactivity in the Arctic Ocean. The results obtained underline the essential difference between the dispersion of dissolved contaminants in water and the transport of particulate material in sea ice. Coupled ice-ocean models on different spatial scales are applied to study the transit times and major pathways for radioactive contaminant transport in the water column. One of the main sources for radioactive pollution in the Arctic, the discharge of the Sellafield reprocessing plant, was simulated from 1965 until now. The results are compared with measurements and hypothetical release scenarios computed for the the dump sites of radioactive waste in the Kara Sea. Our comparison reveals that the Sellafield signal is by one or two orders of magnitude higher than any potential contamination from Kara Sea dump sites, even if a ’worst case’ scenario is assumed. In order to assess the role of sea ice in contaminant transport, sedimentological data from the Kara Sea and the Arctic Ocean were analysed. The results show that fine-grained Kara Sea sediments from dump site areas are predestined for entrainment into newly forming ice. Observed buoy drifts and simulated trajectories confirm that the Arctic Transpolar Ice Drift is a rather short pathway for pollutant dispersion from the Arctic Ocean to the adjacent Nordic Seas. However, compared to the large volume and contaminant flux in the ocean, the contaminant dispersion by sea ice plays a minor role.

Zusammenfassung

Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse eines gemeinsamen Forschungsprojektes in einer Kombination aus numerischen Modellstudien und Feldversuchen dar mit dem Ziel, die Verteilung anthropogener Radioaktivität im Arktischen Ozean zu untersuchen. Die erzielten Ergebnisse unterstreichen den wesentlichen Unterschied beim Transport von im Wasser gelösten Kontaminanten und von an Schwebstoffe gebundenen Schadstoffen durch Meereis.

Gekoppelte Eis/Ozean-Modelle auf unterschiedlichen räumlichen Skalen werden benutzt mit dem Ziel, die Transitzeiten und wichtigsten Transportwege radioaktiver Kontaminaten in der Wassersäule zu untersuchen. Eine der Hauptquellen radioaktiver Kontamination in der Arktis, die Einleitungen aus der Wiederaufbereitungsanlage Sellafield für Kernbrennstoffe, wurde für die Jahre 1965 bis heute simuliert. Die Ergebnisse werden mit Messungen und simulierten hypothetischen Eintrag-Szenarien aufgrund der Versenkung radioaktiver Abfälle in der Karasee verglichen. Diese Vergleiche zeigen, daσ das Sellafield-Signal ein bis zwei Gröσenordnungen höher ist als jede mögliche Kontamination aus Abfall-Versenkungsstellen in der Karasee; dies gilt auch für den Fall, dass die Freisetzung unter ungünstigsten Bedingungen erfolgen sollte (“worst case scenario”).

Um die Rolle des Meereises beim Transport radioaktiver Schadstoffe zu bestimmen, wurden sedimentologische Daten aus der Karasee und dem Arktischen Ozean analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daσ feinkörnige Sedimente aus den Versenkungsgebieten der Karasee zum Abtransport in sich neu bildendem Eis prädestiniert sind. Beobachtungen von Bojen-Verdriftungen und simulierte Trajektorien bestätigen, daσ die arktische transpolare Eisdrift einen kurzen und damit schnellen Transportweg für die Schadstoffausbreitung vom Arktischen Ozean in die angrenzenden Meere darstellt. Hingegen spielt die Verdriftung von Schadstoffen durch Meereis — verglichen mit dem Transport aufgrund der Meeresströmungen infolge der erheblich gröσeren Volumina eine geringere Rolle.

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Author notes

  1. M. J. Karcher

    Present address: Alfred-Wegener-lnstitut für, Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), Columbusstrasse, D-27568, Bremerhaven

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie, Postfach 301220, D-20305, Hamburg

    H. Nies, M. J. Karcher, C. Bahe, E. Kleine & P. Loewe

  2. Institut für Meereskunde, Universität Hamburg, Troplowitzstr. 7, D-22529, Hamburg

    I. H. Harms & J. O. Backhaus

  3. Research Center for Marine Geosciences, GEOMAR, Wischhofstrasse 1-3, D-24148, Kiel

    D. Dethleff & G. Kuhlmann

  4. Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ), Bundesstraße 55, D-20146, Hamburg

    J. M. Oberhuber

  5. Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI), 17, Vladimirskaya St., 183010, Murmansk, Russia

    D. Matishov

  6. V. G. Khlopin Radium Institute, Roentgen Str. 1, 197022, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. Stepanov

  7. Institute for Water and Environmental Problems, Morskoy Prosp. 2, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia

    O. F. Vasiliev

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  1. H. Nies
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  2. I. H. Harms
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  3. M. J. Karcher
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  9. E. Kleine
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Nies, H., Harms, I.H., Karcher, M.J. et al. Anthropogenic radioactivity in the nordic seas and the arctic ocean — results of a joint project. Deutsche Hydrographische Zeitschrift 50, 313–343 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764228

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02764228

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