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The deposition of Caesium 137 on grassland at a site in SW England following the Chernobyl accident
Author(s) -
GILBEY J.,
BRADLEY S.,
WALLING D. E.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1987.tb02134.x
Subject(s) - pasture , grassland , environmental science , deposition (geology) , caesium , soil test , radionuclide , zoology , soil water , agronomy , chemistry , biology , soil science , physics , sediment , paleontology , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Following the Chernobyl accident in April 1986 137 Cs was detected in samples of grass collected at AGRI, North Wyke, Devon, UK. Samples of grass from permanent and reseeded swards under uniform management were taken on three occasions. The 137 Cs content of the samples was assessed as both Bq kg ‐1 of sample and Bq m ‐2 , Samples taken from the same site in 1985 were used as a control group; these contained no measurable 137 Cs. The samples taken on 8 May 1986 had a 137 Cs content of approximately 30 Bq kg ‐1 ; by 31 July 1986 the content had dropped to 1% of this value. The permanent pasture initially showed a higher level of 137 Cs than the reseeded sward. Analysis of soil cores from the sampling area showed a much higher level of 137 Cs than that found in the herbage. This was attributed to the atmospheric testing of nuclear devices in the early 1960s: the short‐lived 137 Cs isotope was found in the 1986 herbage samples but not in the soil cores.