Environmental tritium of the Danube basin in Yugoslavia

Abstract

An overview of environmental distribution of tritium in the Danube basin in Yugoslavia during the period 1976–1990 is presented. Temporal and regional variations of environmental tritium in the Danube along its flow (1425-847 km from the confluence) and its tributaries (the Sava, the Tisa, the Velika Morava and the Timok) at various locations, as well as in alluvial groundwaters, are given. In Belgrade, monthly values of tritium in rainfall ranged from 1·1 to 18·3 Bq litre −1, with a maximum in the late spring and early summer months. The half-life for decline in concentration was estimated as 8·3 ± 1·0 years. The total amount of tritium deposited in the first 6 months during 1976-90 was 35% larger than in the second 6 months for the same period. Seasonal variations were noticeable in rivers and groundwaters, but these were greatly attenuated and smoothed for the latter. Tritium content in the monthly composite samples from the river in the Belgrade region varied between 2·5 and 18·2 Bq litre −1 for the Danube and from 1·5 to 16·8 Bq litre −1 for the Sava. The yearly mean values along the Danube and its tributaries ranged from 2·4 to 15·9 Bq litre −1 with individual measurements 1·0–30·2 Bq litre −1. The half-lives were between 6·9 ± 1·7 for the Velika Morava and 9·4 ± 0·9 for the Danube. Groundwaters, particularly ones in the Ranney wells, followed changes of tritium content in the rivers with a time lag from a few days to a month. During the period of observation, tritium content decreased in alluvial waters with half-lives from 9·9 ± 1·6 (Belgrade area) to 7·3 ± 1·8 (the Velika Morava).