Short- and long-term patterns of ¹³7Cs in fish and other aquatic organisms of small forest lakes in southern Finland since the Chernobyl accident.

We summarize the patterns of ¹³7Cs activity concentrations and transfer into fish and other biota in four small forest lakes in southern Finland during a twenty-year period following the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. The results from summer 1986 showed fastest accumulation of ¹³7Cs into planktivorous fishes, i.e. along the shortest food chains. Since 1987, the highest annual mean values of ¹³7Cs have been recorded in fish occupying the highest trophic levels, for perch (Perca fluviatilis) 13,600 Bq/kg (ww) and for pike (Esox lucius) 20,700 Bq/kg (ww). At the same time, activity concentrations of ¹³7Cs in crustacean zooplankton and Asellus aquaticus have ranged between 1000 and 19,500 Bq/kg (dw). In 2006, 5-28% of the 1987 ¹³7Cs activity concentration levels were still present in perch and pike. Since 1989 their ¹³7Cs activity concentrations in oligohumic seepage lakes have remained significantly higher than in polyhumic drainage lakes due to the increased transfer of ¹³7Cs into fish in the seepage lakes with lower electrolyte concentrations, longer water retention times and lower sedimentation rate.

Transfer of 137Cs into fish in small forest lakes.

The transfer of (137)Cs into fish in seepage and drainage lakes from 1988 to 1992 was analysed using linear regression. Empirical results for (137)Cs in lake water and fish were used to calculate concentration factors (CFs). In the drainage lakes the CF decreased during the study period by 9% per year whereas in the seepage lakes the CF increased significantly by 4.3% per year. The transfer of (137)Cs into pike was significantly (1.6 times) higher than that into perch. The CF increased on average by 3.4% for each 1-cm increase in the median size of perch. The relationship between the water chemistry and the CF differed between clear-water seepage and brown-water drainage lakes.

Overview of strontium-89,90 deposition measurements in Finland 1963-2005.

In Finland the deposition of strontium-89 (90Sr) and strontium-90 (90Sr) has been monitored since the early 1960s. The measured cumulative 90Sr deposition in 1963-2005 is on average 1200 Bq m(-2), of which 150 Bq m(-2) originates from the Chernobyl accident. Adding to this the deposition in 1945-1962 produces a value of 2040 Bq m(-2) for the cumulative deposition in Finland. The nuclear explosion-derived deposition up to 1985 obtained in this study, 1850 Bq m(-2), is in good agreement with the zonal 90Sr deposition of 1740 Bq m(-2) in the 60 degrees N-70 degrees N latitude band estimated by UNSCEAR. The regional deposition patterns of 89Sr and 90Sr following the Chernobyl accident resemble those of the refractory nuclides such as 239,240Pu and 95Zr. The total deposition of Chernobyl-derived 90Sr in Finland was about 5.3 x 10(13) Bq. This activity corresponds to 0.027% of the reactor core inventory and 0.66% of the atmospheric emissions from the accident. The corresponding figures for 89Sr are 4.5 x 10(14) Bq, 0.023% and 0.56%, respectively.

Application of the ERICA Assessment Tool to freshwater biota in Finland.

In recent years there has been growing international interest in the assessment of doses and risks from ionising contaminants to biota. In this study the ERICA Tool, developed within the EC 6th Framework Programme, was applied to estimate incremental dose rates to biota in freshwater ecosystems in Finland mainly resulting from exposure to the Chernobyl-derived radionuclides (137)Cs, (134)Cs and (90)Sr. Data sets consisting of measured activity concentrations in fish, aquatic plants, lake water and sediment for three selected lakes located in a region with high (137)Cs deposition were applied in the assessment. The dose rates to most species studied were clearly below the screening level of 10 microGy h(-1), indicating no significant impact of the Chernobyl fallout on these species. However, the possibility of higher dose rates to certain species living on or in the bottom sediment cannot be excluded based on this assessment.

Transfer of 90Sr into fish in Finnish lakes.

The long-term behavior of (90)Sr was investigated from 1987 to 1997 in fifteen lakes in southern and central Finland following the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Both water and fish samples (perch, pike, vendace) were analyzed. (90)Sr stays long in the freshwater ecosystem; the observed half-lives during the study period were generally around 10 years in water and even longer in fish. One lake exhibited very different behavior for (90)Sr, with elevated levels in fish and water and very short observed half-life in fish, less than 2 years. Concentration factors of (90)Sr in fish (Bqkg(-1) f.w. in fish/Bqkg(-1) in water) among the studied lakes significantly correlated with both the Ca concentration and electrical conductivity of the water. More (90)Sr was transferred into fish in lakes with a low electrical conductivity and a low Ca concentration. Among other water parameters evaluated were pH, color, total nitrogen, and phosphorus.

Transfer and behaviour of 137Cs in two Finnish lakes and their catchments.

The long-term behaviour of 137Cs was studied in two freshwater ecosystems in southern Finland in an area most loaded by the Chernobyl fallout in 1986. Samples were taken from water, sediments, aquatic plants and fish in the lakes and from soil, mushrooms and seed plants in the catchments. The activity concentrations of 137Cs in fish have remained at a relatively high level and decreased much more slowly in these two lakes than in other lakes studied by us. One reason for the continuously high concentrations in fish is evidently the prolonged stay of caesium at a relatively high level in the water of these lakes, which is associated with a slow sedimentation rate. The hydrographical properties of the lakes, i.e. the oligotrophic character associated with a deficiency of potassium in water and a low pH are other reasons for the effective uptake and long retention time of 137Cs in fish. The effect of humic substances on the uptake and delay of caesium in fish could not be proved clearly in this study. The swampy soil type of the catchment associated with a more oligotrophic status and lower pH of the water in Lake Siikajärvi explain at least partly the difference in activity concentrations and transfer of 137Cs between the two lakes studied. This refers to the higher transfer from the catchment to the lake and the higher uptake of 137Cs by fish and other biota in Lake Siikajärvi than in Lake Vehkajärvi. Perch and pike were more efficient accumulators of caesium than the best indicators among the aquatic plants. In the terrestrial environment, caesium was most effectively accumulated by mushrooms.

137Cs in freshwater fish in Finland since 1986--a statistical analysis with multivariate linear regression models.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 significantly elevated the 137Cs levels of fish in Finnish lakes. About 6200 fish samples from 390 lakes comprising 20 species have been analysed for 137Cs since 1986. The sizes of the lakes varied from a few hectares to about 1000 km2. Activity concentrations of 137Cs in fish still varied widely in 2003, from 16 to 6400 Bq/kg fresh weight. This paper presents the results of statistical analyses with multivariate linear regression models carried out on the empirical data collected since 1986. The statistical analysis resulted in separate models for two time periods describing temporal changes of 137Cs in fish. The explanatory variables were fish species with various feeding habits, the size class of the lake, municipal division, drainage area, time since the deposition and deposition level of the municipality. The calculated values for 137Cs in fish did not differ statistically significantly from the observed values in the validation data. The explanatory variables explained 58% (the first time period) and 72% (the second time period) of the total variability of 137Cs in fish.

Accumulation of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs in bottom sediments of some Finnish lakes.

The amount and vertical distribution of Chernobyl-derived 137Cs in the bottom sediments of some Finnish lakes were studied. Sediment and surface water samples were taken in 2000 and 2003 from 12 stations in nine lakes and the results were compared with those obtained in corresponding surveys carried out in 1969, 1978, 1988 and 1990. Each of the five deposition categories of Chernobyl fallout in Finland were represented. The depth profiles of 137Cs in the sediments showed considerable variety in the lakes studied. The peak values varied between 1.5 and 46 kBq kg(-1) dry wt. The size and shape of the peak did not always correlate with the amount of deposition in the area, but on the other hand, reflected differences in sedimentation processes in different lakes. In some of the lakes the peak still occurred in the uppermost (0-2 cm) sediment layer, but in an extreme case the peak occurred at a depth of 22-23 cm corresponding to a sedimentation rate of 16 mm year(-1) during the 14 years after the Chernobyl accident. The total amounts of 137Cs in sediments varied from 15 to 170 kBq m(-2) at the sampling stations studied. Since 1990, the amounts have continued to increase slightly in two lakes, but started to decrease in the other lakes. In most of the lakes, the total amounts of 137Cs in sediments were about 1.5-2 times higher than in local deposition. In two lakes, the ratio was below 1, but in one case 3.2. Compared with the total amounts of 137Cs at the same stations in the late 1960s and 1970s, the values were now at their highest, at about 60-fold. The most important factors affecting 137Cs values in sediments were the local amount of deposition and the type of the lake and the sediment, but in addition, there were a number of other factors to be considered.

Global analysis of the riverine transport of 90Sr and 37Cs.

Atmospheric nuclear weapons explosions and large-scale nuclear accidents may contaminate large areas of land with the long-lived radionuclides 137Cs and 90Sr. The mobility and bioavailability of these radionuclides in the environment is dependent primarily on soil characteristics and changes significantly over time after fallout (1-4). Radioisotope concentrations in different rivers and at different times after fallout vary over 2-3 orders of magnitude. Many previous studies have concentrated on the interactions of radiocesium and radiostrontium with various environmental components, but there are currently no operative models fortheirtransport over large spatial areas. We collected time-series measurements of 90Sr and 137Cs in 25 major European and Asian rivers and (using digital data sets with global coverage) determined characteristics of each of the rivers' catchments. This work has established, for the first time, a quantitative link between riverine transport of these radioisotopes and catchment and soil characteristics at a global scale. A generalized predictive model accounting for time changes in river concentrations and variation in catchment characteristics is developed. This can be used to predict the long-term riverine transport of these radiologically important radionuclides following any large-scale nuclear incident in North America, Europe, or (European and Asian) Russia.