Transport of radionuclides from the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls through the marine environment

A dispersion of radionuclides (H-3, Sr-90, Cs-137, (PU)-P-239) potentially released from the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls through the South Pacific O cean has been studied by means of computer models. The models used consiste d of three differently structured compartmental models for the regional fie ld and a hydrodynamic world ocean model for the far-held simulations. The o utcome of regional modelling is predicted activity concentrations with time in different regions of French Polynesia (over up to 10000 years for pluto nium). The far-field model simulates large-scale dispersion in the South Pa cific Ocean over periods of up to 50 years. The overall result suggests tha t there will not be radioactive contamination of any radiological interest at inhabited sites in French Polynesia or anywhere else in the ocean at pre sent or in the future. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.