SEASONAL AND REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE TRANSFER OF CESIUM RADIONUCLIDES FROM SOIL TO ROE DEER AND PLANTS IN A PREALPINE FOREST

The surveillance of roe deer contamination with cesium radionuclides i n the rural prealpine area of Oberschwaben in south-west Germany since autumn 1986 revealed characteristic regional and seasonal patterns, w hich resulted from the transfer from soil to grazing plants of these a nimals. A periodic maximum in autumn was correlated with the mushroom season in forests. In the largest forest in this region, the transfer soil to roe deer was significantly higher in spruce than in mixed part s of this forest. In the soil in the spruce stand, the highest fractio n of the total cesium radionuclide inventory was found in the O(h) hor izon rich in organic matter. At an area in the spruce stand treated ma inly with CaCO3 in 1984, the transfer soil to plant was reduced by a f actor of 4-5 compared to the neighbouring untreated area.