Variability of fallout radionuclides accumulation and possible contamination sources of a peripheral glacier in southeast Greenland.

Autor: Wojciechowski K; Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland. Electronic address: kamil.wojciechowski@ifj.edu.pl., Yde JC; Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Røyrgata 6, 6856 Sogndall, Norway., Cwanek A; Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland., de Villiers S; Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Røyrgata 6, 6856 Sogndall, Norway., Samolej K; Silesian Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Central Mining Institute - National Research Institute (GIG-PIB), Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland., Bonczyk M; Silesian Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Central Mining Institute - National Research Institute (GIG-PIB), Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland., Łokas E; Department of Mass Spectrometry, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Chemosphere [Chemosphere] 2024 Nov 22, pp. 143804. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 22.
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143804
Abstrakt: Cryoconite, granule-shaped debris found on the surface of glaciers, is known for trapping substantial quantities of pollutants such as radioactive nuclides and heavy metals. This study investigates contamination levels, sources and spatial variability of natural and artificial radioisotopes in cryoconite from Mittivakkat Gletsjer in southeast Greenland by determining the activity and atomic ratios of selected radionuclides. The maximum activity concentrations of artificial radioisotopes were 1129±34 Bq kg -1 for 137 Cs, 3.75±0.39 Bq kg -1 for 238 Pu; 62.6±6.1 Bq kg -1 for 239+240 Pu, and 23.2±2.4 Bq kg -1 for 241 Am. For natural radionuclides, the maximum concentrations were 4900±120 Bq kg -1 for 210 Pb, 470±17 Bq kg -1 for 40 K, and 42.9±1.7 Bq kg -1 for 228 Ra. Statistically significant and positive correlations were found between altitude and activity concentrations of 137 Cs, 238,239+240 Pu, 241 Am, and 210 Pb. This linkage could be explained by lower ablation rates with altitude and higher presence of supraglacial channels near the glacier front. The major source of plutonium shown by 238 Pu/ 239+240 Pu activity ratios in the surveyed area can be attributed to global fallout and is consistent with the activity ratios of 241 Am/ 239+240 Pu. The 239+240 Pu/ 137 Cs activity ratio suggests that the main source of cesium is global fallout, but possible input from Chernobyl cannot be excluded. Lower values of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atomic ratio indicate a mixture of possible sources, including fallout derived from low-yield nuclear detonations such as from the Novaya Zemlya Test Site or Semipalatinsk. Overall, the findings of this study show that the radionuclide contamination levels on glaciers in southeast Greenland are relatively normal compared to other glaciers worldwide and that the dominating source is global fallout.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest ☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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