Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The transport and fluvial redistribution of Chernobyl-derived radiocaesium within the River Wye basin, UK.
AU - Rowan, J. S.
AU - Walling, D. E.
PY - 1992/6
Y1 - 1992/6
N2 - Relatively little attention has been given to the long term prospect of fluvial transport processes redistributing Chernobyl-derived radiocaesium within the UK. Work undertaken within the Wye basin, central Wales, demonstrates a complex distribution of fallout at the catchment scale, with the bulk of the deposition concentrated in a narrow north-south band, situated in the west central areas of the basin, which contained in excess of 1500 Bq m−2 of 134Cs. Fluvial transport and redistribution of this material was demonstrated by river sampling during the winter of 1988/89, when the radiocaesium content of suspended sediment transported by the River Wye (≈ 30–50 mBq g−1 of 137Cs) remained 3–5-times higher than pre-Chernobyl levels. Floodplain reaches displayed variable levels of secondary contamination, dependent upon the upstream supply of radiocaesium and local morphological controls. Accordingly, the highest 134Cs inventories within the basin (> 6000 Bq m−2) were associated with rapidly accreting floodplain sites. A number of these sites experienced only limited amounts of direct atmospheric fallout. The importance of fluvial redistribution as a secondary contamination mechanism is thus highlighted.
AB - Relatively little attention has been given to the long term prospect of fluvial transport processes redistributing Chernobyl-derived radiocaesium within the UK. Work undertaken within the Wye basin, central Wales, demonstrates a complex distribution of fallout at the catchment scale, with the bulk of the deposition concentrated in a narrow north-south band, situated in the west central areas of the basin, which contained in excess of 1500 Bq m−2 of 134Cs. Fluvial transport and redistribution of this material was demonstrated by river sampling during the winter of 1988/89, when the radiocaesium content of suspended sediment transported by the River Wye (≈ 30–50 mBq g−1 of 137Cs) remained 3–5-times higher than pre-Chernobyl levels. Floodplain reaches displayed variable levels of secondary contamination, dependent upon the upstream supply of radiocaesium and local morphological controls. Accordingly, the highest 134Cs inventories within the basin (> 6000 Bq m−2) were associated with rapidly accreting floodplain sites. A number of these sites experienced only limited amounts of direct atmospheric fallout. The importance of fluvial redistribution as a secondary contamination mechanism is thus highlighted.
KW - Wye
KW - Chernobyl
KW - radiocaesium
KW - sediment-associated
KW - redistribution
U2 - 10.1016/0048-9697(92)90310-O
DO - 10.1016/0048-9697(92)90310-O
M3 - Journal article
VL - 121
SP - 109
EP - 131
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
ER -