Anthropogenic radionuclides in Kola and Motovsky Bays of the Barents Sea, Russia

Russia's military and civilian nuclear powered maritime fleets operate in t he Kola and Motovsky Bays on the northwest Arctic coast of Russia. Levels o f anthropogenic radionuclides were measured in sediment grab samples collec ted from approximately 100 stations in areas near military and civilian nuc lear installations and in the open waters of the two bays. In most areas, r adionuclide levels are similar to those reported for other Arctic seas: Cs- 137 = 1-24 Bq kg(-1) d.w., Co-60 = < 1 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and Pu-239,Pu-240 = 0 .8-1.6 Bq kg(-1) d.w. However, the presence of Co-60 (up to 27 Bq kg(-1) d. w.) indicates that minor leakage of radioactive waste has occurred near sev eral military installations. Sites where leakage is detected include Pala, Sayda, Olenya and Ekaterininskaya Bays in the Kola Bay and Zapadnaya Litsa in Motovsky Bay. Cs-137 levels of 40-50 Bq kg(-1) d.w. and Pu-239,Pu-240 le vels of up to 2.2 Bq kg(-1) d.w. were measured near several military instal lations but these levels do not indicate leakage as the source. Some of the highest Co-60 activities were detected in sediments collected n ear the civilian nuclear installation, Atomflot. The sediments also contain ed higher Cs-137 activities compared to samples from other regions of the s tudy area with similar particle size distributions. Routine discharges of p urified radioactive waste from the Atomflot facility are the likely source of Co-60 and enhanced Cs-137 levels. With this investigation, we have detec ted evidence of radioactive waste leakage in the marine environment, but th e environmental impact on the bays has been minimal. (C)1999 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.