Radioecological investigations in shallow bays of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago in 2002–2005

The results of a survey of underwater disposal sites of potentially hazardous objects in the Kara Sea and Oga, Tsivolky, Stepovoy and Abrosimov Bays are presented. Radionuclide levels were determined, using gamma-spectrometric and radiochemical methods, in zones near to and remote from buried solid radioactive waste in the outer and inner parts of the Bays. At the repository of the solid radioactive waste containers in the inner part of the Stepovoy Bay and Abrosimov Bay, higher than background concentrations of 137Cs were determined in samples of bottom sediments. At one of the sites located in the Stepovoy Bay 137Cs and 60Co were detected.