Issues
Spatial distribution of Sr-90 and Cs-137 in soil of terrestrial ecosystems in the vicinity of Beloyarsk NPP
«Radiation and Risk», 2025, vol. 34, No. 3, pp.61-73
DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2025-34-3-61-73
Authors
Panov A.V. – Acting Director, D. Sc., Biol., Prof. of RAS. IATE MEPhI. Contacts: 1, Studgorodok, Obninsk, Kaluga region, Russia, 249040. Tel.: +7(484) 394-07-43; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .Titov I.E. – Res. Assistant
Krechetnikov V.V. – Res. Assistant. NRC “Kurchatov Institute” – RIRAE.
Korzhavin A.V. – Sen. Researcher, C. Sc., Vet.
Korzhavina T.N. – Sen. Engineer, C. Sc., Ped. IPAE UB RAS.
1 Obninsk Institute for National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Obninsk
2 Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology of National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, Obninsk
2 Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg
Abstract
On the basis of the created network of radioecological monitoring, the content of most radiologically significant artificial radionuclides in soil of the terrestrial (anthropogenic, natural and agrarian) ecosystems of the 30-km zone of influence of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was estimated in 2013 and 2019. In the ArcMap 10.5 module of the ArcGIS package, a GIS project was developed for the spatial distribution of the ambient dose equivalent rate (ADER), as well as the 137Cs и 90Sr contamination density of the soil cover in the area of the nuclear power plant. Areas in the Olkhovsky swamp of the NPP sanitary protection zone were identified with an average of 3-7 times higher ADER levels compared to the regional levels. For many years, the process waters of the Beloyarsk NPP containing artificial radionuclides were discharged into this swamp. The density of soil contamination with 137Cs in the Olkhovsky swamp reaches an average of 2.4 MBq/m2, 90Sr – 23 kBq/m2. According to the degree of decrease in the 137Cs content in the soil cover, the terrestrial ecosystems of the Beloyarsk NPP location area are arranged in a row: Olkhovsky swamp, forests, grasslands, anthropogenic areas, virgin lands, vegetable gardens, arable lands. Local areas with an increased density of 90Sr contamination (2-3 kBq/m2) are noted in the southern direction from the Beloyarsk NPP at a distance of 10-25 km and are caused by both the emissions from the reactors of the first stage of the nuclear power plant and the influence of the East Ural radioactive trace from the accident at the Mayak Production Association. The 137Cs/90Sr ratio in the soils of the area where the Beloyarsk NPP is located is on average 3.3, which is higher than the global radioactive fallout (1.6) and is explained by the impact of the nuclear fuel cycle enterprises of the Ural region in the initial period of their operation.
Key words
nuclear power plants, anthropogenic ecosystems, natural ecosystems, agrarian ecosystems, artificial radionuclides, radioecological monitoring, contamination density, geographic information system, radiobiology, environmental health and safety.
References
1. ICRP, 2007. Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103. Ann. ICRP, 2007, vol. 37, no. 2-4, pp. 1-332.
2. Radiation protection and safety of radiation sources: International Basic Safety Standards. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 3. Vienna, IAEA, 2014. 436 p.
3. Environmental and source monitoring for purposes of radiation protection. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. RS-G-1.8. Vienna, IAEA, 2005. 119 p.
4. Programmes and systems for source and environmental radiation monitoring. Safety Report Series No. 64. Vienna, IAEA, 2010. 232 p.
5. Koltik I.I. Nuclear power plants and radiation safety. Ekaterinburg, 2001. 366 p. (In Russian).
6. Panov A., Trapeznikov A., Trapeznikova V., Korzhavin A. Influence of operation of thermal and fast reactors of the Beloyarsk NPP on the radioecological situation in the cooling pond. Part 1: Surface water and bottom sediments. Nucl. Eng. Tech., 2022, vol. 54, no. 8, pp. 3034-3042.
7. Nifontova M.G., Kulikov N.V. Distribution dynamics of strontium and cesium radionuclides in the components of terrestrial ecosystems in the vicinity of the Beloyarsk NPP in the Urals. Ekologiya – Ecology, 1990, no. 3, pp. 77-80. (In Russian).
8. Kononovich A.L., Luppov V.A., Makovskii V.I., Nifontova M.G., Koltik I.I., Rafikov E.M. Effect of radioac-tive contamination deposited in a Swamp on the radiological situation in the adjacent region. Sov. At. Energy, 1991, no. 71, pp. 764-768.
9. Mikhailovskaya L.N., Guseva V.P., Rukavishnikova O.V., Mikhailovskaya Z.B. Technogenic radionuclides in soils and plants of terrestrial ecosystems in the zone of impact of nuclear enterprises. Ekologiya – Ecology, 2020, no. 2, pp. 110-118. (In Russian).
10. Gooverts P. Geostatistics for natural resources evaluation. New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1997. 483 p.
11. Malczewski J. GIS and multicriteria decision analysis. New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1999. 408 p.
12. Guidelines for organizing monitoring of the state of the natural environment in the area of NPP location. Ed.: K.P. Makhonko. Leningrad, Hydrometeoizdat, 1990. 263 p. (In Russian).
13. Organization of state radioecological monitoring of agroecosystems in the zone of influence to radiation haz-ardous objects. Methodological guidelines MU 13.5.13-00. Moscow, Publ. of the RAAS, 2000. 28 p. (In Russian).
14. Observation area of the radiation object. Organization and implementation of radiation monitoring of the envi-ronment: methodological recommendations. Methodological recommendations MR 2.6.1.27-2003. Moscow, Technormativ, 2007. 70 p. (In Russian).
15. Panov A.V., Kuznetsov V.K., Isamov N.N., Geshel I.V., Trapeznikov A.V., Korzhavin A.V. Assessment of the influence of BN-800 operation on the radioecological situation in the vicinity of Beloyarsk NPP. At. Energy, 2021, vol. 129, no. 5, pp. 297-304.
16. Panov A.V., Trapeznikov A.V., Kuznetsov V.K., Korzhavin A.V., Isamov N.N., Geshel I.V. Radioecological monitoring of agroecosystems in the vicinity of Beloyarsk NPP. Izvestiya Tomskogo politekhnicheskogo uni-versiteta. Inzhiniring georesursov – Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering, 2021, vol. 332, no. 3, pp. 146-157. (In Russian).
17. The radiation situation on the territory of Russia and neighboring states in 2013-2019. Yearbooks. Obninsk, Roshydromet, FSBI «NPO Typhoon», 2014-2020. (In Russian).
18. NIMA, 1984. Department of Defense World Geodetic System. Its Definition and Relationships with Local Geodetic Systems. Technical Report TR8350.2. Bethesda, 1984, 175 p.
19. Oliver M.A., Webster R. Kriging: a method of interpolation for geographical information systems. Int. J. Geog. Inf. Syst., 1990. vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 313-332.
20. Molchanova I.V., Kaygorodova S.Yu., Mikhailovskaya L.N., Gaberstein T.Yu., Hlystov I.A. Composition, property and level of radionuclide contamination of the soil cover within 15 km zone of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant. Zhurnal Sibirskogo federal’nogo universiteta. Biologiya – Journal of Siberian Federal University. Biology, 2016, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 321-337. (In Russian).
21. Atlas of the East Ural and Karachay radioactive trace including forecast up to 2047. Eds.: Yu.A. Izrael. Mos-cow, IGCE Roshydromet and RAS, «Infosphere» Foundation, 2013. 140 p. (In Russian).
Full-text article (in Russian)