Radiocesium in the Northeastern part of Italy after the chernobyl accident: Vertical soil transport and soil-to-plant transfer

Radiocesium deposited in soil following the Chernobyl accident (May 1986) has remained persistently available for plant uptake in some areas of Europe. In this paper, the RABES model was used to explain the vertical migration of 137Cs in soil, in three different areas in the Northeastern region of Italy. The soil-to-plant transfer factor has been calculated as a function of the elapsed time since the radionuclide deposition. The influence of the soil characteristics on the transfer process was studied.