Title: Species richness and abundance of forest birds in relation to radiation at Chernobyl
Author: Møller, A.P. / Mousseau, T.A.
Reference: Biology Letters, 3 (5), p.483-486, Oct 2007
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0226
Keywords: census, ecosystem effects, population density, radiation at Chernobyl, species richness
Abstract: The effects of low-level radiation on the abundance of animals are poorly known, as are the effects on ecosystems and their functioning. Recent conclusions from the UN Chernobyl forum and reports in the popular media concerning the effects of radiation from Chernobyl on animals have left the impression that the Chernobyl exclusion zone is a thriving ecosystem, filled with an increasing number of rare species. Surprisingly, there are no standardized censuses of common animals in relation to radiation, leaving the question about the ecological effects of radiation unresolved. We conducted standardized point counts of breeding birds at forest sites around Chernobyl differing in level of background radiation by over three orders of magnitude. Species richness, abundance and population density of breeding birds decreased with increasing level of radiation, even after controlling statistically for the effects of potentially confounding factors such as soil type, habitat and height of the vegetation. This effect was differential for birds eating soil invertebrates living in the most contaminated top soil layer. These results imply that the ecological effects of Chernobyl on animals are considerably greater than previously assumed.
URL: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/5/483
Title: Catchment-scale deposition and redistribution of Chernobyl radiocaesium in upland Britain.
Author: Higgitt, D. L. and Rowan, J. S. and Walling, D. E.
Reference: (1993) Catchment-scale deposition and redistribution of Chernobyl radiocaesium in upland Britain. Environment International, 19 (2). pp. 155-166.
DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0160-4120(93)90366-P
Keywords:
Abstract: Fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986 resulted in a significant increase in the inventory of radiocaesium in many areas of upland Britain. Caesium-137 derived from nuclear weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s has been widely used as a sediment tracer to monitor soil erosion. The presence of Chernobyl fallout provides an opportunity to examine the short-term, post-input behaviour of radiocaesium in upland soils and assess its potential for investigating sediment transfer in upland systems. Sampling undertaken in the catchment of Lake Vyrnwy, North Wales considered the vertical distribution of radiocaessium in different soil types, the catchment-wide variation in Chernobyl fallout deposition, and the radiocaesium content of sediment from a variety of slope and fluvial environments. Whilst uncertainty surroungding the estimation of baseline inventories limits the detailed interpretation of short-term sediment dynamics, it is apparent that the sediment-associated redistribution of Chernobyl radioactivity may result in its accumulation in certain parts of the catchment over longer timescales.
URL: http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/22633/
Title: Measurements of long-term external and internal radiation exposure of inhabitants of some villages of the Bryansk region of Russia after the Chernobyl accident
Author: Bernhardsson, C. / Zvonova, I. / Rääf, C. / Mattsson, S.
Reference: Science of The Total Environment, 409 (22), p.4811-4817, Oct 2011
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.07.066
Keywords: Chernobyl; Long-term; Effective dose; Internal; External
Abstract: ► Effective dose from Chernobyl fallout in rural villages in Bryansk (Russia). ► Long-term trends (18 y) with focus on recent years. ► Different temporal variations of external and internal dose. ► Internal dose is predicted to dominate the total effective dose in the future.
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969711008230
Title: Prediction of the 137 Cs activity concentration in the atmospheric surface layer of the Chernobyl exclusion zone
Author: Garger, E.K. / Kuzmenko, Yu.I. / Sickinger, S. / Tschiersch, J.
Reference: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 110, p.53-58, Aug 2012
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.01.017
Keywords: Atmospheric radioactivity; 137Cs; Model development; Prognosis; Validation
Abstract: ► A forecasting model of the atmospheric radioactivity was developed. ► The model was applied successfully in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. ► Initial measurements of the airborne 137Cs activity density over 4.5 y were used. ► Predictions were compared with measurements of a later period with good agreement.
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X12000288
Title: Strontium-90 and caesium-137 activity concentrations in bats in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Author: Gashchak, Sergey / Beresford, Nicholas Anthony / Maksimenko, Andrey / Vlaschenko, Anton S
Reference: Radiation and environmental biophysics, 49 (4), p.635-644, Nov 2010
DOI: 10.1007/s00411-010-0322-0
Keywords:
Abstract: Bats are a protected species and as such may be an object of protection in radiological assessments of the environment. However, there have previously been only few radioecological studies of species of bats. In this paper, results for >140 measurements of (90)Sr and (137)Cs in 10 species of bats collected within the Chernobyl zone are presented. There was some indication of a decreasing transfer of (90)Sr with increasing deposition, although this was inconsistent across species and explained little of the observed variability. There was no difference between male and female bats in the transfer (expressed as the ratio of whole-body activity concentrations to those in soil) of either radionuclide. There was considerable variability in transfer across all species groups. At two sites where there were sufficient data, Eptesicus serotinus was found to have higher transfer than other species.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20714905?dopt=Abstract
Title: Short and medium effects on the environment of Valencia, Spain, of the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident.
Author: Moreno, A / Navarro, E / Senent, F / Baeza, A / Miró, C / del Río, M
Reference: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology, 46 (1), p.14-21, Jan 1991
Keywords:
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2001484?dopt=Abstract
Title: Differences in effects of radiation on abundance of animals in Fukushima and Chernobyl
Author: Møller, Anders Pape / Nishiumi, Isao / Suzuki, Hiroyoshi / Ueda, Keisuke / Mousseau, Timothy A.
Reference: Ecological Indicators, 24, p.75-81, Jan 2013
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.06.001
Keywords: Animals; Bio-indicators; Mutation accumulation; Radiation; Radiotoxicity
Abstract: ► We censused animals at 1198 sites in Chernobyl and Fukushima varying in level of radiation. ► Abundance of more animals declined with radiation in Chernobyl than in Fukushima. ► The effect of radiation on abundance differed between Chernobyl and Fukushima. ► Effects of radiation on birds and bumblebees did not differ between areas.
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X12002324
Title: [Comparative analysis of the radionuclide composition in fallout after the Chernobyl and the Fukushima accidents].
Author: Kotenko, K V / Shinkarev, S M / Abramov, Iu V / Granovskaia, E O / Iatsenko, V N / Gavrilin, Iu I / Margulis, U Ia / (…) / Khoshi, M
Reference: Meditsina truda i promyshlennaia ekologiia, (10), p.1-5, Jan 2012
Keywords:
Abstract: The nuclear accident occurred at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) (March 11, 2011) similarly to the accident at the Chernobyl NPP (April 26, 1986) is related to the level 7 of the INES. It is of interest to make an analysis of the radionuclide composition of the fallout following the both accidents. The results of the spectrometric measurements were used in that comparative analysis. Two areas following the Chernobyl accident were considered: (1) the near zone of the fallout – the Belarusian part of the central spot extended up to 60 km around the Chernobyl NPS and (2) the far zone of the fallout–the “Gomel-Mogilev” spot centered 200 km to the north-northeast of the damaged reactor. In the case of Fukushima accident the near zone up to about 60 km considered. The comparative analysis has been done with respect to refractory radionuclides (95Zr, 95Nb, 141Ce, 144Ce), as well as to the intermediate and volatile radionuclides 103Ru, 106Ru, 131I, 134Cs, 137Cs, 140La, 140Ba and the results of such a comparison have been discussed.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23210176?dopt=Abstract
Title: [Surface-active substances in the environment of the 30-kilometer area around the Chernobyl Atomic Electric Power Station (the ecological aspects)].
Author: Serdiuk, A M / Mudryĭ, I V / Raetskaia, E V / Golenkova, L G
Reference: Likars’ka sprava / Ministerstvo okhorony zdorov’ia Ukraïny, (10-12), p.24-27, Oct 1993
Keywords:
Abstract: Results of determination of surface-active substances (SAS) in the soil and water from 30-km Chernobyl zone are presented. The data evidence degrees of soil pollution with anionic SAS which may influence migration and translocations of radionuclides, salts of heavy metals and other compounds. There were found bottom deposits of anionic detergents in the river of Prypyat as well as pollution of well water in a number of villages.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8030299?dopt=Abstract
Title: Assessing effects of radiation on abundance of mammals and predator–prey interactions in Chernobyl using tracks in the snow
Author: Møller, Anders Pape / Mousseau, Timothy A.
Reference: Ecological Indicators, 26, p.112-116, Mar 2013
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.10.025
Keywords: Interspecific interactions; Numerical response; Snow tracks
Abstract: To test whether radioactive contamination reduced the abundance of mammals, and whether species differed in susceptibility to radiation, we censused mammals by counting tracks in the snow along 161 100-m line transects around Chernobyl during February 2009. The abundance of mammal tracks was negatively related to level of background radiation, independent of the statistical model, with effects of radiation accounting for a third of the variance. The effect of radiation differed significantly among species. There was a positive relationship between abundance of predators and abundance of prey, modified by the level of background radiation because the number of predators increased disproportionately with the number of prey at high levels of radiation. These findings suggest that predatory mammals aggregate in areas with abundant prey, especially when prey are exposed to high levels of radiation. This study emphasizes the negative effects of level of background radiation on the abundance of mammals and predator–prey interactions.
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X12003767
