Abstract
Ecosystem uptake and transfer of Sellafield-derived radiocarbon (14C) were examined within the West of Scotland marine environment. The dissolved inorganic carbon component of seawater, enriched in 14C, is transported to the West of Scotland where it is transferred through the marine food web. Benthic and pelagic biota with variable life-spans living in the North Channel and Clyde Sea show comparable 14C activities. This suggests that mixing of 14C within the Irish Sea results in a relatively constant northwards dispersal of activity. Benthic species in the Firth of Lorn have similar 14C enrichments, demonstrating that Irish Sea residual water is the dominant source to this area. Measured 14C activities in biota show some similarity to western Irish Sea activities, indicating that dispersion to the West of Scotland is significant with respect to the fate of Sellafield 14C releases. Activities measured in commercially important species do not pose any significant radiological risk.
Highlights
IntroductionRadiocarbon (14C) is estimated to be the largest contributor to the collective dose that the global population receives from the nuclear industry (UNSCEAR, 2008), due to its long half-life (5730 years) and ready uptake into the global carbon cycle
The δ13C values of the particulate organic carbon (POC) fractions at station PP were lower than that at the NC station, which indicates that a greater proportion of the material at station PP was probably terrestrial in origin
The particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) fraction was significantly depleted at station PP and the lower δ13C values for these samples indicate that a greater proportion of the material was again terrestrial in origin
Summary
Radiocarbon (14C) is estimated to be the largest contributor to the collective dose that the global population receives from the nuclear industry (UNSCEAR, 2008), due to its long half-life (5730 years) and ready uptake into the global carbon cycle. In the UK, the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing facility is authorised to discharge waste 14C to the atmosphere and the marine environment and this 14C is the largest contributor to the collective dose commitment to UK and European populations from the entire nuclear industry (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, 2015). Atmospheric releases of 14C from Sellafield largely dominated total discharges until 1994 when a change in discharge policy and, to a lesser extent, an increase in reprocessing activity resulted in increased marine 14C discharges, which have continued since that time. Low-level radioactive effluent containing 14C is discharged via pipelines that extend 2.1 km offshore into the Irish Sea. 14C is released primarily as inorganic carbon and is incorporated
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