Simulating dissolved ⁹⁰Sr concentrations within a small catchment in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone using a parametric hydrochemical model.

ABSTRACT: Strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) is the major long-lived radionuclide derived from the Chernobyl accident, and is still being detected in the heavily contaminated catchments of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This study examines the long-term decrease in the dissolved-phase ⁹⁰Sr concentration and the concentration-discharge (⁹⁰Sr-Q) relationship in stream water since the accident. We show that the slow decline in ⁹⁰Sr follows a double-exponential function, and that there is a clear relationship between ⁹⁰Sr and Q. This study is the first to reveal that the log(⁹⁰Sr)-log(Q) slope has been gradually decreasing since the accident. This trend persists after decay correction. Thus, it is not caused by the physical decay of ⁹⁰Sr and e

SUBMITTER: Igarashi Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7299996 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature