Experimental installation for radioecology research on defined ecosystems subjected to contamination in controlled conditions

A dedicated experiment facility has been constructed to simulate, in contro lled conditions, the contamination by multielement aerosols of various agro -ecosystems typical of Europe. Lar-ge monoliths of undistributed soils (12 t each) have been sampled throughout Europe; the extraction merited used in order not re destroy the pedological zones is described. These monoliths a re installed in the facility greenhouses under computer-driven climatic and hydric conditions, which mimic those of their origin. A critical compariso n of the climatic values ill the greenhouse and in the original sites is do ne. Contamination of the lysimeters is performed with a specific furnace ca pable of generating radioactive and stable aerosols. The general characteri stic aerosols are determined. They are representative of those that would b e released in the case of a severe accident ill a pressurized water reactor with core fusion (2950 degrees C).