Norwegian monitoring (1990–2015) of the marine environment around the sunken nuclear submarine Komsomolets
| Autor: | Justin P. Gwynn, Anne Liv Rudjord, Lars Føyn, Ingrid Sværen, Janita K. Flo, Torbjörn Gäfvert, Hallvard Haanes, Hilde Elise Heldal |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Water Pollutants
Radioactive Activity ratios Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Water Pollution Radioactive Norwegian 010501 environmental sciences 010403 inorganic & nuclear chemistry 01 natural sciences Radiation Monitoring Radioactive contamination Environmental Chemistry Seawater Waste Management and Disposal Ships 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Radionuclide Norway Submarine Sediment General Medicine Pollution language.human_language 0104 chemical sciences Current (stream) Oceanography language Environmental science |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. 182:52-62 |
| ISSN: | 0265-931X |
| Popis: | Norway has monitored the marine environment around the sunken Russian nuclear submarine Komsomolets since 1990. This study presents an overview of 25 years of Norwegian monitoring data (1990–2015). Komsomolets sank in 1989 at a depth of 1680 m in the Norwegian Sea while carrying two nuclear torpedoes in its armament. Subsequent Soviet and Russian expeditions to Komsomolets have shown that releases from the reactor have occurred and that the submarine has suffered considerable damage to its hulls. Norwegian monitoring detected 134Cs in surface sediments around Komsomolets in 1993 and 1994 and elevated activity concentrations of 137Cs in bottom seawater between 1991 and 1993. Since then and up to 2015, no increased activity concentrations of radionuclides above values typical for the Norwegian Sea have been observed in any environmental sample collected by Norwegian monitoring. In 2013 and 2015, Norwegian monitoring was carried out using an acoustic transponder on the sampling gear that allowed samples to be collected at precise locations, ∼20 m from the hull of Komsomolets. The observed 238Pu/239,240Pu activity ratios and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in surface sediments sampled close to Komsomolets in 2013 did not indicate any releases of Pu isotopes from reactor or the torpedo warheads. Rather, these values probably reflect the overprinting of global fallout ratios with fluxes of these Pu isotopes from long-range transport of authorised discharges from nuclear reprocessing facilities in Northern Europe. However, due to the depth at which Komsomolets lies, the collection of seawater and sediment samples in the immediate area around the submarine using traditional sampling techniques from surface vessels is not possible, even with the use of acoustic transponders. Further monitoring is required in order to have a clear understanding of the current status of Komsomolets as a potential source of radioactive contamination to the Norwegian marine environment. Such monitoring should involve the use of ROVs or submersibles in order to obtain samples next to and within the different compartments of the submarine. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
Full Text from ScienceDirect