12.09.2025, 08:09
A trace of radiation was found in the northern taiga
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS Scientists conducted the first comprehensive study of the behavior of caesium-137 radionuclide in the North taiga ecosystems of the Kola Peninsula and found its active accumulation in vegetation. The results of the work are published in the Life magazine.
The research covered 12 monitoring sites at different distances from the Kola NPP. Using gamma-ray spectrometry, experts have recorded that the highest concentration of radiocesium is observed in plants of the heather family, as well as in mosses and shrubs. The activity level ranged from 4.7 to 164.8 Bq/kg, which is comparable to the Scandinavian taiga and significantly higher than in the central part of Russia.
At the same time, the unexpected conclusion of the study is that the background areas 30 kilometers from the station turned out to be more polluted than the sanitary protection zone. Scientists emphasize: This indicates not the impact of nuclear power plants, but global precipitation of radionuclides, mainly after the nuclear tests of the 1960s and the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The key factor turned out to be soil properties. The high mobility of caesium is associated with a low content of nutrients and organics in podzolic soils typical of the north. This increases the risk of radionuclide entering food chains, from plants to animals, which can have long-term environmental consequences for northern ecosystems.
Earlier, an increase in the natural background radiation was recorded in the Arctic: the concentration of radon in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago was almost twice as high as last year.
The research covered 12 monitoring sites at different distances from the Kola NPP. Using gamma-ray spectrometry, experts have recorded that the highest concentration of radiocesium is observed in plants of the heather family, as well as in mosses and shrubs. The activity level ranged from 4.7 to 164.8 Bq/kg, which is comparable to the Scandinavian taiga and significantly higher than in the central part of Russia.
At the same time, the unexpected conclusion of the study is that the background areas 30 kilometers from the station turned out to be more polluted than the sanitary protection zone. Scientists emphasize: This indicates not the impact of nuclear power plants, but global precipitation of radionuclides, mainly after the nuclear tests of the 1960s and the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The key factor turned out to be soil properties. The high mobility of caesium is associated with a low content of nutrients and organics in podzolic soils typical of the north. This increases the risk of radionuclide entering food chains, from plants to animals, which can have long-term environmental consequences for northern ecosystems.
Earlier, an increase in the natural background radiation was recorded in the Arctic: the concentration of radon in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago was almost twice as high as last year.
Комментарии