Радиоэкологические проблемы реабилитации арктических морей России

Abstract

Some questions related to the Northern Sea Route status are considered in this paper. An analysis of radiation sources
 influence on environment, biota and human beings in the Arctic region has been carried out, and stages of this influence
 formation have been allocated. The world practice of ocean disposal is considered, and the information on nuclear and
 radiation hazardous objects dumped in the northwest Arctic seas has been submitted. The questions connected with lifting
 of the nuclear submarine K-27 dumped in the Kara Sea and the nuclear submarine “Komsomolets” sunken in the Norwegian
 Sea have been stated. Data on a modern radio ecological situation in places of dumped nuclear and radiation hazardous
 objects have been submitted. Such option of marine environment remediation as dumped/sunken objects lifting has been
 considered. An analysis of existing Russian technologies for lifting of the dumped/sunken objects has been carried out.
 The conclusions are drawn that the sunken and dumped objects containing spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, don´t
 constitute now real radio ecological danger to the population and environment, but they should be considered as sources of
 potential danger, whose scales and consequences will depend on protective barriers condition and mechanisms of further
 migration of radioactive materials in marine ecosystems. Regular complex surveys of the most potentially hazardous
 dumped/sunken objects’ status during joint international scientific and research expeditions should be a first step towards
 this problem solution.