Using Atmospheric (137)Cs Measurements and Hysplit to Confirm Chernobyl as a Source of (137)Cs in Europe
Abstract
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident released considerable amounts of radioactive material into the environment, including a large amount of (137)Cs. A large fraction of the (137)Cs was deposited on the ground in the surrounding areas. Two atmospheric monitoring stations that contribute data to the Prototype International Data Centre (PIDC), one in Stockholm, Sweden, and the other in Helsinki, Finland, routinely measure (137)Cs. It is believed that the source of this (137)Cs is the ground contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. The PIDC routinely uses HYSPLIT (HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) atmospheric modeling software to determine probable source locations of radionuclides detected during normal operations. In this paper, HYSPLIT was used in conjunction with the data from the PIDC to more firmly establish the link between Chernobyl and (137)Cs measurements. The results indicate that an air mass containing (137)Cs has a higher likelihood of having recently been in the Chernobyl area than an air mass that does not contain (137)Cs. The inverse seems true also: an air mass that does not contain (137)Cs is far less likely to have been in the vicinity of Chernobyl in the recent past. These results, while not definitive, are very encouraging. The results also improve the confidence in HYSPLIT.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA529778
Entities
People
- Erik L. Swanberg
- Steven G. Hoffert