Atmospheric fallout of radionuclides in peat bogs in the Western Segment of the Russian Arctic. 2021

Evgeny Yakovlev, and Ruslan Spirov, and Sergey Druzhinin, and Alina Ocheretenko, and Anna Druzhinina, and Egor Mishchenko, and Evgeniya Zhukovskaya
N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163000. evgeny.yakovlev@fciarctic.ru.

This article presents the results of studies of the activity of radionuclides in peat-bog profiles of the European subarctic of Russia. Two peat profiles were collected in different areas of the Arkhangelsk region. The peat cores were used to determine 210Pb, 137Cs, 241Am, 239Pu, 240Pu, 238U, and 234U content. To estimate the relationship between radionuclide activity and physicochemical parameters of peat, the content of organic matter, water-soluble salts, carbonates and ash, and the pH of aqueous and salt extracts were studied. Radionuclide activity concentrations in peat samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), low-background semiconductor gamma spectrometry with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and alpha spectrometry. The 210Pb chronology of peat cores was studied using a constant flow model based on the Monte Carlo simulation method. Comparison of 210Pb dating data showed that the position of the maximum activity peaks of anthropogenic radionuclides shifted along the peat profile. This is probably due to the relative mobility of different radionuclides in the peat massif. Measurement of the atomic ratio 240Pu/239Pu showed that the main sources of pollution in the peatlands of the European subarctic of Russia are global fallout from atmospheric tests from the 1950s through 1980 and fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. This study shows that a complex of radioactive isotopes in peat deposits can provide valuable information on the environmental pollution loads of subarctic territories.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011847 Radioactive Fallout The material that descends to the earth or water well beyond the site of a surface or subsurface nuclear explosion. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Chemical and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Fallout, Radioactive,Fallouts, Radioactive,Radioactive Fallouts
D012426 Russia A country located in north Asia bordering the Arctic Ocean, extending from Europe (the portion west of the Urals) to the North Pacific Ocean. The capital is Moscow. Russian S.F.S.R.,Russian Federation (Europe),Russian SFSR
D012987 Soil The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land plants. Peat,Humus,Soils
D013051 Spectrometry, Gamma Determination of the energy distribution of gamma rays emitted by nuclei. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Gamma Spectrophotometry,Gamma Spectrometry,Spectrophotometry, Gamma
D014875 Water Pollutants, Radioactive Pollutants, present in water or bodies of water, which exhibit radioactivity. Pollutants, Radioactive Water,Radioactive Water Pollutants
D053833 Wetlands Environments or habitats at the interface between truly terrestrial ecosystems and truly aquatic systems making them different from each yet highly dependent on both. Adaptations to low soil oxygen characterize many wetland species. Bogs,Mangrove Forests,Mangrove Swamps,Marsh,Marshes,Swamps,Bog,Forest, Mangrove,Forests, Mangrove,Mangrove Forest,Mangrove Swamp,Swamp,Swamp, Mangrove,Swamps, Mangrove,Wetland

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