Author(s): Akira Wada; Minoru Ochiai; Tairyu Takano

Linked Author(s):

Keywords: The Arctic Ocean; radioactive waste; concentration analysis; scavenging; sensitivity analysis

Abstract: In recent years, research has been underway to clarify the fate of radioactive waste dumped into the Arctic Ocean (especially, the Kara Sea and the Barents Sea). These sea areas are very narrow, shallow and located close to land. Flow analysis which has been conducted by using observational data (water temperature and salinity) and applying a method for obtaining the exchange flow rate in such a way that the inter-box input and output of salinity, heat and seawater volume are balanced, has made it possible to successfully express the actual flow patterns (J. Hydraul. Res., 40, 2002, 303). In this paper, concentration analysis is conducted on the basis of a release scenario with considerations given to nuclide decay, mixing, scavenging and interaction between undersea particles and the bottom sediment layer. Especially, sensitivity analysis is conducted on Pu-239 and Cs-137 using distribution coefficients, the concentration of suspended solids (SS) in the ocean, and the settling velocity of suspended load as parameters.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2004.9728376

Year: 2004