A Survey of ¹³⁷Cs in Sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean Marine Environment from the Pre-Chernobyl Age to the Present

A survey of ¹³⁷Cs in sediments from the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Aegean and Ionian Seas) during the period from 1984 to 2007 is presented. Data have been collected and analyzed in the framework of the monitoring system of Greece performed by the Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory (NCSR “Demokritos”) over the past 30 years. Sediment activities reflect the impact from the Chernobyl accident one year later (1987). It is evident that sediment acts as the final receptor of ¹³⁷Cs, showing that fast depollution of the Mediterranean still remains a utopia. Radioactive “hot spots” were observed in the northern Aegean Sea and lower values in the southern Aegean Sea and Ionian Sea. Finally, an effort to evaluate the risk of ionizing radiation (from ¹³⁷Cs) to the biota inhabiting sediments was made using ERICA. The respective dose rates for two reference organisms (benthic fish and mollusks) were estimated to be far below the screening dose, at which the radiological impact on the abundance of the population begins

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Global Transport and Deposition of ¹³⁷Cs Following the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan: Emphasis on Europe and Asia Using High–Resolution Model Versions and Radiological Impact Assessment of the Human Population and the Environment Using Interactive Tools

The earthquake and the subsequent tsunami that occurred offshore of Japan resulted in an important loss of life and a serious accident at the nuclear facility of Fukushima. The “hot spots” of the release are evaluated here applying the model LMDZORINCA for ¹³⁷Cs. Moreover, an assessment is attempted for the population and the environment using the dosimetric scheme of the WHO and the interactive tool ERICA, respectively. Cesium-137 was deposited mostly in Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and North Pole (80%), whereas the rest in the continental areas of North America and Eurasia contributed slightly to the natural background (0.5–5.0 kBq m^–2). The effective dose from ¹³⁷Cs and ¹³⁴Cs (radiocesium) irradiation during the first 3 months was estimated between 1–5 mSv in Fukushima and the neighboring prefectures. In the rest of Japan, the respective doses were found to be less than 0.5 mSv, whereas in the rest of the world it was less than 0.1 mSv. Such doses are equivalent with the obtained dose from a simple X-ray; for the highly contaminated regions, they are close to the dose limit for exposure due to radon inhalation (10 mSv). The calculated dose rates from radiocesium exposure on reference organisms ranged from 0.03 to 0.18 μGy h^–1, which are 2 orders of magnitude below the screening dose limit (10 μGy h^–1) that could result in obvious effects on the population. However, these results may underestimate the real situation, since stable soil density was used in the calculations, a zero radiocesium background was assumed, and dose only from two radionuclides was estimated, while more that 40 radionuclides have been deposited in the vicinity of the facility. When monitoring data applied, much higher dose rates were estimated certifying ecological risk for small mammals and reptiles in terms of cytogenetic damage and reproduction

Black Carbon Sources Constrained by Observations in the Russian High Arctic

Understanding the role of short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon (BC) at high northern latitudes in climate change is hampered by the scarcity of surface observations in the Russian Arctic. In this study, highly time-resolved Equivalent BC (EBC) measurements during a ship campaign in the White, Barents, and Kara Seas in October 2015 are presented. The measured EBC concentrations are compared with BC concentrations simulated with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model coupled with a recently completed global emission inventory to quantify the origin of the Arctic BC. EBC showed increased values (100–400 ng m^–3) in the Kara Strait, Kara Sea, and Kola Peninsula and an extremely high concentration (1000 ng m^–3) in the White Sea. Assessment of BC origin throughout the expedition showed that gas-flaring emissions from the Yamal–Khanty-Mansiysk and Nenets–Komi regions contributed the most when the ship was close to the Kara Strait, north of 70° N. Near Arkhangelsk (White Sea), biomass burning in mid-latitudes, surface transportation, and residential and commercial combustion from Central and Eastern Europe were found to be important BC sources. The model reproduced observed EBC concentrations efficiently, building credibility in the emission inventory for BC emissions at high northern latitudes

Appendix A

Appendix