Radiation biology. Radioecology
ISSN: 0869-8031

Archives → 2018 → Vol. 58, No. 4 → pp. 406–414

Article

Distribution of Radionuclides in Water, Bottom Sediments and Bottomland Soils of the Lower Ob-River in the Boundaries of the Yamalo-Nenetskiy Autonomous District

Trapeznikov A.V.¹, Nikolkin V.N.¹, Korzhavin A.V.¹, and Trapeznikova V.N.¹

¹ Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Branch, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Abstract

This study presents the data on the ³Н, ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs content in water, bottom sediments and bottomland soils of the Lower Ob-river, covering the observation period of 2014–2016. Empirical models describing the longitudinal regularities of the radionuclide distribution in water, bottomland soils and bottom sediments along the river are given. The estimation of the radionuclide stock in the bottomland soils and bottom sediments of the surveyed site is carried out. It is shown that nearly all the ⁹⁰Sr inflow coming to the Ob-river transits through the entire section of the Lower Ob-river and is transferred to Obskaya Guba practically without a loss. The concentration activity of ¹³⁷Cs in the water decreases monotonically throughout the investigated section. At the same time, the density of ¹³⁷Cs in the bottomland soils exponentially increases downstream, which indicates the processes of ¹³⁷Cs fixation from the water component by the bottomland soils and bottom sediments due to the ¹³⁷Cs low migration capacity. At present, a significant volume of the radionuclides has been deposited in the Lower Ob-river, the total stock of which in the bottomland and bottom sediments over a section of 431 km in length is estimated as 3.0 × 10¹³ Bq for ⁹⁰Sr and 2.0 × 10¹³ Bq for ¹³⁷Cs

Keywords

radionuclide, water, bottomland sediments, migration, empirical models, integral store, Ob-river

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