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Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean
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Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Environmental Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 10726

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Intae Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Busan 49111, Korea
Interests: radionuclide; trace metal; tracer; chemical oceanography; environmental radioactivity; GEOTRACES; trace gases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural radioactivity in the marine environment has been present since the Earth’s formation, while artificial radionuclides were introduced into the oceans in the 1940s. More recent sources of anthropogenic radionuclides exist that feed the ocean, consisting of atmospheric fallout from nuclear testing, accidental releases from civilian and military nuclear facilities, low-level liquid discharges from reprocessing plants, radioactive waste dumping, and large-scale releases due to disasters (e.g., Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents). These artificial radionuclides in the marine environment could pose a significant concern along various political, health and environmental aspects. On the other hand, both natural and artificial radioisotopes in the ocean have been used in marine and environmental sciences for over an hundred years, and provide unique tools to study environmental processes in great detail from a cellular level through to an oceanic basin scale. Here, we kindly invite you to submit research papers representing up-to-date works on radioactivity in the marine environment addressing (i) field measurements of natural and artificial radionuclides, (ii) laboratory experiments and modeling, (iii) impacts on marine biology and ecosystems, (iv) health risk and dosimetry, (v) implications as oceanic tracers (vi) innovative methodologies, and (vii) other relevant studies on environmental radioactivity in the ocean in this Special Issue.

Dr. Intae Kim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental radioactivity
  • natural- and artificial radionuclide
  • radiation exposure
  • dosimetry
  • radioactive tracer
  • radiation biology
  • impact on marine ecosystem
  • risk and human health
  • application

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2284 KiB  
Article
An Optimized Quantification Method for Marine Radioactivity Measurements: Application in the Southern Caspian Sea Using the KATERINA Underwater γ-Spectrometer
by Christos Tsabaris, Effrossyni G. Androulakaki and Stylianos Alexakis
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(4), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11040725 - 27 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1067
Abstract
The underwater gamma-ray spectrometer KATERINA was calibrated in a special tank and then demonstrated in the Southern Caspian Sea to determine the radioactivity levels in seawater as well as in the sediment. The simulated marine efficiency of the in situ detection system was [...] Read more.
The underwater gamma-ray spectrometer KATERINA was calibrated in a special tank and then demonstrated in the Southern Caspian Sea to determine the radioactivity levels in seawater as well as in the sediment. The simulated marine efficiency of the in situ detection system was validated analyzing the high energetic (1764 keV of 214Bi and 2614 keV of 208Tl) gamma-ray peaks using their known activity concentration as determined from the low energy emissions. The analysis of the in situ gamma-ray spectra in a short acquisition time period provided quantitative data for 226Ra and 232Th progenies as well as for 40K. A satisfactory analysis was performed for quantifying the observed energy peaks in the seawater and sediment measurements acquired at the south coast of the Caspian Sea. The spectrum in the water tank was also analyzed using full spectrum analysis methods, and the reproduced spectrum was in a very good agreement with the experimental spectrum giving as an output the activity concentrations of the observed radionuclides. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean)
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22 pages, 18444 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Contamination of the Arabian Gulf as a Result of Hypothetical Nuclear Power Plant Accidents
by Vladimir Maderich, Roman Bezhenar, Ivan Kovalets, Oleksandr Khalchenkov and Igor Brovchenko
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(2), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11020331 - 03 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Long-term consequences of radionuclide contamination of the Arabian Gulf as a result of hypothetical accidents at the Bushehr and Barakah nuclear power plants (NPPs) were studied using a chain of models including the atmospheric dispersion model RIMPUFF, the marine compartment model POSEIDON-R, and [...] Read more.
Long-term consequences of radionuclide contamination of the Arabian Gulf as a result of hypothetical accidents at the Bushehr and Barakah nuclear power plants (NPPs) were studied using a chain of models including the atmospheric dispersion model RIMPUFF, the marine compartment model POSEIDON-R, and the dose model. The compartment model POSEIDON-R is complemented by a dynamic model of the biota food chain that includes both pelagic and benthic organisms. The source terms for the hypothetical releases of the selected radionuclides (134Cs, 137Cs, 106Ru, and 90Sr) in the atmosphere were defined as a fraction of respective reactor inventories available in the literature. Conservative meteorological scenarios for the calculation of the initial depositions of radionuclides were selected. Because the Gulf is shallow, a significant portion of the reactive radionuclides (134Cs, 137Cs, 106Ru) remain in the bottom sediments and continue to contaminate water and benthic organisms for a long period of time. The annual dose due to the consumption of marine products can exceed 1 mSv, whereas the annual dose due to drinking the water from desalination plants is expected to be an order less. The contribution of elements to the dose depends on the type of reactor. This is manifested in differences between the contributions of different marine organisms to the dose. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean)
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17 pages, 1414 KiB  
Article
Recent 137Cs Distribution in the Aegean Sea, Greece
by Petros Leivadaros, Christos Tsabaris, Dionisis L. Patiris, Georgios Eleftheriou, Filothei K. Pappa, Efrossyni Androulakaki, Manos Dasenakis, Evangelia Krasakopoulou and Vassilis Zervakis
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(11), 1719; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10111719 - 10 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1053
Abstract
Recent spatial and vertical distributions of 137Cs activity concentration in the Aegean Sea are presented almost 30 years after the Chernobyl accident. The study aims to provide the current radioactivity levels of 137Cs in the Aegean Sea and to combine the [...] Read more.
Recent spatial and vertical distributions of 137Cs activity concentration in the Aegean Sea are presented almost 30 years after the Chernobyl accident. The study aims to provide the current radioactivity levels of 137Cs in the Aegean Sea and to combine the 137Cs activity concentration with typical oceanographic parameters (T, S) in order to utilize them as tracers to identify/validate the different water masses that are present in the Aegean Sea. This work was performed in the frame of the “KRIPIS” project in 2017 for continuous investigations of the deep basins from all over the Aegean Sea and includes samplings from the water column layers of seven stations. The 137Cs activity concentrations were determined via lab-based gamma ray spectroscopy after appropriate chemical pre-concentration of 137Cs, while the salinity and temperature of the water column were obtained by in-situ measurements. The activity concentration values of 137Cs varied from 1.6 to 5.5 Bq m−3. Clear distinction of the Black Sea and Levantine Waters was obtained based on the combination of temperature and salinity values with 137Cs activity concentration. Furthermore, including 137Cs as a supplementary tracer, the Transitional Subsurface Aegean Waters were identified at the Myrtoan and Antikythera Straits, combining the salinity, temperature and 137Cs activity concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean)
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14 pages, 5151 KiB  
Article
Distributions of Radiocesium and Plutonium in the Korean Seas and North Pacific after the Fukushima Accident, 2011–2014
by Jaeeun Lee, Suk Hyun Kim, Huisu Lee, Hyunmi Lee and Intae Kim
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(10), 1541; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10101541 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2030
Abstract
The distributions of artificial radionuclides, radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) and plutonium isotopes (238Pu and 239+240Pu), in the surface water around the Korean seas (East/Japan Sea and Yellow Sea) in 2011–2012 and in three sections in the North [...] Read more.
The distributions of artificial radionuclides, radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) and plutonium isotopes (238Pu and 239+240Pu), in the surface water around the Korean seas (East/Japan Sea and Yellow Sea) in 2011–2012 and in three sections in the North Pacific between 2011 and 2014 were examined. The 137Cs activities in the surface water in the Korean seas in 2011 (immediately after the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) accident on 17 March 2011) were comparable or not significantly different relative to those in 2010 and 2012. However, 134Cs, which had been not detected in the study area before the Fukushima accident (under the detection limit of 0.1 mBq kg−1 level), were detected rapidly in 2011 after the accident (in about 60% of the 72 samples) and gradually disappeared due to their short half-life (t1/2 = 2.06 years) in 2012 (detected in about 16% of the 24 samples). In addition, the highest activities of radiocesium and Pu isotopes appeared locally in some stations of the Korean Strait region (located between Korea and Japan) within 1–2 months immediately after the accident. This suggests that the radioactive nuclides released immediately after the Fukushima accident were significantly introduced through the atmosphere, based on recent studies conducted in neighboring areas. We also showed that the spatial distribution of radiocesium in the North Pacific moved eastward from 2012 to 2014, and we attempted to quantify the residence time of radiocesium (137Cs) in the Korean seas based on the long-term (tens of years scale) temporal trends of 137Cs activity data, which have been collected since the 1960s and 1970s. The estimated retention time of 137Cs in the East/Japan Sea and Yellow Sea were 25 ± 0.6 and 8.0 ± 0.1 years, respectively. These results are expected to be used as a preliminary study for a potential future event of a marine radioactive accident (which, of course, cannot be predicted) and as basic data for predicting the influences of radionuclide releases in the ocean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean)
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18 pages, 5055 KiB  
Article
Radiation Hazard from Natural Radioactivity in the Marine Sediment of Jeddah Coast, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
by Bandar A. Al-Mur and Ahmed Gad
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(8), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10081145 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2783
Abstract
Marine sediment samples were collected along the Jeddah coast, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, in order to assess radiation hazards and the exposure to human and marine living organisms. Using collaborative techniques, grain size, mineralogical characteristics, and natural radioactivity were investigated. To examine the [...] Read more.
Marine sediment samples were collected along the Jeddah coast, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia, in order to assess radiation hazards and the exposure to human and marine living organisms. Using collaborative techniques, grain size, mineralogical characteristics, and natural radioactivity were investigated. To examine the influence of sediment characteristics over the distribution of the measured radionuclides, resulting data were statistically processed by using multivariate analyses. 238U, 232Th, and 40K levels were specified to be 19.50, 9.38, and 403.31 Bq kg−1, respectively. Radionuclides distributions were affected by sediment mud content, organic matter, and heavy minerals index. The calculated radiation risk parameters are within the safe range and lower than the global average. Natural radiation from these marine sediments is normal and poses no significant radiological risk to the public or marine living organisms. The natural radioactivity of the marine sediment in this Jeddah coastline will have to be monitored on a regular basis to avoid overexposure to the residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Radioactivity in the Ocean)
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