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Spatial distribution of 7Be and 137Cs measured with the use of biomonitors

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Abstract

An attempt to establish a spatial distribution of the atmospheric deposition of the 7Be was done using terrestrial mosses as medium. The levels of naturally present radionuclide 7Be (and 40K, 137Cs, 212Pb and 214Bi as well) were measured in 217 moss samples collected from the entire territory of the Republic of Serbia. Measurements were performed by a well-type NaI detector. Measurable values of activity concentrations of 7Be (up to the 666 Bq kg−1) were detected in all moss samples. The measured minimal and maximal activity concentration values of 7Be were found to differ ninefold. It is much higher than the difference between minimal and maximal 7Be activity measured in surface air measured in 34 stations in EU. It was obtained that the spatial distribution of 7Be is non-uniform shoving small isolated islands having significantly higher (or lower) activity concentrations than neighboring area. Prominent local differences in activity concentration cannot be observed in spatial distribution of 137Cs which was exposed to different environmental influences after deposition during three decades.

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Acknowledgements

This work is a part of the projects “Studying climate change and its influence on the environment: impacts, adaptation and mitigation” (43007) and “Biosensing Technologies and Global System for Long-Term Research and Integrated Management of Ecosystems” (No. 43002) financed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia within the framework of integrated and interdisciplinary research for the period 2011–2017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Miodrag Krmar & Jan Hansman

  2. Department of Biology and Ecology, University Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Dragan Radnović

  3. Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, University Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Minučer Mesaroš

  4. Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece

    Chrysoula Betsou

  5. Faculty of Science, University Pristina, Pristina, Serbia

    Tatjana Jakšić & Predrag Vasić

Authors
  1. Miodrag Krmar
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  2. Dragan Radnović
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  3. Jan Hansman
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  4. Minučer Mesaroš
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  5. Chrysoula Betsou
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  6. Tatjana Jakšić
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  7. Predrag Vasić
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Correspondence to Miodrag Krmar.

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Krmar, M., Radnović, D., Hansman, J. et al. Spatial distribution of 7Be and 137Cs measured with the use of biomonitors. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 318, 1845–1854 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6121-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6121-9

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