Radioactive Contamination of the North-western Black Sea Sediments

The paper deals with the input and deposition of the man-made radionuclides 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu and 241Am introduced to the north-western Black Sea, over the last few decades, as the result of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl nuclear accident. One approach taken was to retrieve the deposition records of these radionuclides in the sediments. The deposition chronology was compared with monitoring data of the post-Chernobyl input of 137Cs to the NW Black Sea sediments from the Danube River. The partitioning of 137Cs between suspended matter and water was traced along the salinity gradient in the Danube mixing zone. In sediments deposited in the vicinity of the Danube delta and the Dniepr estuary, the activity of Chernobyl 137Cs had reached its maximum 5 and 10 years after the accident, respectively. The activity ratio of 137Cs to 239+240Pu and 241Am revealed a higher mobility of 137Cs in the Danube River basin compared to plutonium and americium. The percentage of particulate 137Cs and its distribution coefficient vs salinity have allowed the estimation of sedimentary scavenging and desorption of caesium in the Danube mixing zone. Comparison of the post-Chernobyl 137Cs input from the Danube to the 137Cs inventory in the adjacent Black Sea sediments showed that more than 70% of this radionuclide was deposited in the Danube–Black Sea mixing zone.