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Chernobyl fallout and radionuclide activity in bottom sediments at the River Adige estuary (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy)
Author(s) -
Merlin O. Hieke,
Vittori L. Menegazzo,
Molinaroli E.,
Morani A.,
Pelati L. Tassi
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1992.tb00578.x
Subject(s) - estuary , sediment , radionuclide , oceanography , geology , river mouth , sedimentary rock , drainage basin , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , geochemistry , geomorphology , geography , physics , cartography , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics
The artificial radionuclides 137 Cs, 134 Cs and 106 Ru have been determined up to 16 cm deep in two sediment cores collected in March 1988 at the River Adige estuary in the northern Adriatic Sea. Interdependent relations between the properties of the sediment levels and the activity of radionuclides have been investigated using multivariate statistical analysis. The interactions between radiocontaminants and the particulate matter or water phase are discussed during their transfer processes from the river to the estuary and the marine environment. Diffusion phenomena within the sedimentary column have also been considered. The vertical distribution of the artificial radionuclides due to Chemobyl fallout in sediment cores from the River Adige mouth, compared to those from similar estuarine environments in the Adriatic Sea, point out a general rapid accumulation of river‐borne solid material in coastal zones of the North Adriatic Sea.