Migration rates of radionuclides deposited after the Chernobyl accident in various North German soils

Abstract

In three soils typical for Northern Germany including Eutric Cambisol, Orthic Podsol and Eutric Histosol (Food and Agriculture Organization nomenclature), distributions of ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁴Cs, ¹³⁷Cs and ²³⁹Pu +²⁴⁰Pu in the soil profiles were determined. Sampling was performed more than 3 years after deposition of Chernobyl fallout nuclides. Migration rates calculated with a compartmental model showed no significant differences between Cs originating from either atomic weapons or Chernobyl fallout. This result indicates that Chernobyl Cs may have reached sorption equilibrium with the soil matrix 3 years after the accident. Both the compartmental model and the dispersion equation reproduce distributions of most of the activities, but fail to reproduce some (minor) activity fractions that show increased mobility.