Detection of an unknown emission source in the Baltic Sea using the new oceanographic tracer U-233/U-236

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Hain ◽  
Ala Aldahan ◽  
Mats Eriksson ◽  
Robin Golser ◽  
Gideon M. Henderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Chemical Fractionation ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Nuclear Power Production

<p><span>By analysing the two long-lived anthropogenic Uranium (U) isotopes U-233 and U-236 in different compartments </span><span>of the environment affected by releases of nuclear power production or by global fallout from nuclear weapons tests</span><span>, we showed that the corresponding isotopic ratios U-233/U-236</span><span> differ by one order of magnitude. Based on these experimental results which were obtained with the ultra-sensitive detection method Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, we suggested a representative ratio for nuclear weapons fallout of </span><span>U-233/U-236</span><span> =</span><span> (1.40 ± 0.15) ·10</span><sup><span>-2</span></sup><span> and (0.12 ± 0.01) ·10</span><sup><span>-2</span></sup><span> for releases from nuclear power production. Consequently, the </span><span>U-233/U-236</span><span> ratio not only </span><span>has the potential to become a novel sensitive fingerprint for releases from nuclear industry, but could also serve as a powerful oceanographic tracer due to the conservative behaviour of U in ocean water which does not suffer from chemical fractionation. </span></p><p><span>As a first application of this paired tracer, we studied the distribution of U-233 and U-236 concentrations in addition to I-129 in the Baltic Sea which is known to have received inputs of radionuclides from various contamination sources including the two European reprocessing plants, global fallout from weapons testings and fallout from the Chernobyl accident. Our data indicate an additional unidentified source of reactor U-236 in the Baltic Sea demonstrating the high sensitivity of the U-233/U-236 ratio to distinguish different emission sources in water mixing processes.</span></p>

scholarly journals 70-year anthropogenic uranium imprints of nuclear activities in Baltic Sea sediments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mu Lin ◽  
Jixin Qiao ◽  
Xiaolin Hou ◽  
Olaf Dellwig ◽  
Peter Steier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Chernobyl Accident ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Water Structure ◽  
Circulation Pattern ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Strongly stratified water structure and densely populated catchment make the Baltic Sea one of the most polluted seas. Understanding its circulation pattern and time scale is essential to predict the dynamics of hypoxia, eutrophication, and pollutants. Anthropogenic 236U and 233U have been demonstrated as excellent transient tracers in oceanic studies, but unclear input history and inadequate long-term monitoring records limit their application in the Baltic Sea. From two dated Baltic sediment cores, we obtained high-resolution records of anthropogenic uranium imprints originated from three major human nuclear activities throughout the Atomic Era. Using the novel 233U/236U signature, we distinguished and quantified 236U inputs from global fallout (43.3%-50.5%), Chernobyl accident (< 0.9%), and discharges of civil nuclear industry (48.6%-56.7%) to the Baltic Sea. We estimated the total release of 233U (7-15kg) from the atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, and pinpointed 233U peak signal in the mid-to-late 1950s as a potential time marker for the onset of the Anthropocene Epoch. This work also provides fundamental 236U data for Chernobyl accident and early discharges from civil nuclear facilities, prompting worldwide 233U-236U tracer studies. We anticipate our data to be a broader application in model-observation interdisciplinary research on water circulation and pollutant dynamics in the Baltic Sea.

scholarly journals Biomass and number of fish impinged at a nuclear power plant by the Baltic Sea

2013 ◽  
Vol 185 (12) ◽  
pp. 10073-10084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas C. Bryhn ◽  
Mikaela A. J. Bergenius ◽  
Peter H. Dimberg ◽  
Anders Adill
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

Estimation of nuclear power plants influence on the Baltic Sea thermal state by using infrared thermal satellite data

2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2479-2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Gorny ◽  
S. G. Kritsuk ◽  
I. Sh. Latypov ◽  
A. A. Tronin ◽  
B. V. Shilin
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
Thermal State ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
The Baltic

scholarly journals The smoother the better? A comparison of six post-processing methods to improve short-term offshore wind power forecasts in the Baltic Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1205-1226
Author(s):  
Christoffer Hallgren ◽  
Stefan Ivanell ◽  
Heiner Körnich ◽  
Ville Vakkari ◽  
Erik Sahlée
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Offshore Wind Power ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Forecast Quality

Abstract. With a rapidly increasing capacity of electricity generation from wind power, the demand for accurate power production forecasts is growing. To date, most wind power installations have been onshore and thus most studies on production forecasts have focused on onshore conditions. However, as offshore wind power is becoming increasingly popular it is also important to assess forecast quality in offshore locations. In this study, forecasts from the high-resolution numerical weather prediction model AROME was used to analyze power production forecast performance for an offshore site in the Baltic Sea. To improve the AROME forecasts, six post-processing methods were investigated and their individual performance analyzed in general as well as for different wind speed ranges, boundary layer stratifications, synoptic situations and in low-level jet conditions. In general, AROME performed well in forecasting the power production, but applying smoothing or using a random forest algorithm increased forecast skill. Smoothing the forecast improved the performance at all wind speeds, all stratifications and for all synoptic weather classes, and the random forest method increased the forecast skill during low-level jets. To achieve the best performance, we recommend selecting which method to use based on the forecasted weather conditions. Combining forecasts from neighboring grid points, combining the recent forecast with the forecast from yesterday or applying linear regression to correct the forecast based on earlier performance were not fruitful methods to increase the overall forecast quality.

scholarly journals The smoother the better? A comparison of six post-processing methods to improve short-term offshore wind power forecasts in the Baltic Sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoffer Hallgren ◽  
Stefan Ivanell ◽  
Heiner Körnich ◽  
Ville Vakkari ◽  
Erik Sahlée
Keyword(s):  
Random Forest ◽  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Wind Power ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Post Processing ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Offshore Wind Power ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Forecast Quality

Abstract. With a rapidly increasing capacity of electricity generation from wind power, the demand for accurate power production forecasts is growing. To date, most wind power installations have been onshore and thus most studies on production forecasts have focused on onshore conditions. However, as offshore wind power is becoming increasingly popular it is also important to assess forecast quality in offshore locations. In this study, forecasts from the high-resolution numerical weather prediction model AROME was used to analyze power production forecast performance for an offshore site in the Baltic Sea. To improve the AROME forecasts, six post-processing methods were investigated and their individual performance analyzed in general as well as for different wind speed ranges, boundary layer stratifications, synoptic situations and in low-level jet conditions. In general, AROME performed well in forecasting the power production, but applying smoothing or using a random forest algorithm increased forecast skill. Smoothing the forecast improved the performance at all wind speeds, all stratifications and for all synoptic weather classes, the random forest method increased the forecast skill during low-level jets. To achieve the best performance, we recommend to select which method to use based on the forecasted weather conditions. Combining forecasts from neighbouring grid points, combining the recent forecast with the forecast from yesterday or applying linear regression to correct the forecast based on earlier performance were not fruitful methods to increase the overall forecast quality.

scholarly journals A previously unknown source of reactor radionuclides in the Baltic Sea, identified by 233, 236, 238U and 127, 129I multi-fingerprinting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixin Qiao ◽  
Haitao Zhang ◽  
Peter Steier ◽  
Karin Hain ◽  
Xiaolin Hou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Research ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Emissions ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Research Facilities

Abstract We present the first application of multi-isotopic fingerprints (i.e., 236U/238U, 233U/236U, 236U/129I and 129I/127I) for the discovery of unrevealed radioactive sources. Our data indicate that, besides the reactor signature from the two European reprocessing plants and global fallout signature, there must be a previously undiscovered additional reactor 236U source in the Baltic Sea. This reactor 236U may come from unreported discharges from nuclear research facilities in Sweden, or it may come from accidental leakage from disposal of spent nuclear fuel on the Baltic seafloor, either reported or unreported. Such leakage would indicate potential problems with the safety of seafloor disposal, and may be accompanied by leakage of other radionuclides. The results demonstrate the high sensitivity of the multi-isotopic tracer systems, especially the newly accessible 233U/236U signature, to distinguish environmental emissions of unrevealed historical or present radioactive releases for nuclear safeguard and emergency preparedness, as well as tracing environmental processes from the releasing sites.

scholarly journals An unknown source of reactor radionuclides in the Baltic Sea revealed by multi-isotope fingerprints

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixin Qiao ◽  
Haitao Zhang ◽  
Peter Steier ◽  
Karin Hain ◽  
Xiaolin Hou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Research ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
Nuclear Safeguards ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Radiological Safety ◽  
The Baltic

AbstractWe present an application of multi-isotopic fingerprints (i.e., 236U/238U, 233U/236U, 236U/129I and 129I/127I) for the discovery of previously unrecognized sources of anthropogenic radioactivity. Our data indicate a source of reactor 236U in the Baltic Sea in addition to inputs from the two European reprocessing plants and global fallout. This additional reactor 236U may come from unreported discharges from Swedish nuclear research facilities as supported by high 236U levels in sediment nearby Studsvik, or from accidental leakages of spent nuclear fuel disposed on the Baltic seafloor, either reported or unreported. Such leakages would indicate problems with the radiological safety of seafloor disposal, and may be accompanied by releases of other radionuclides. The results demonstrate the high sensitivity of multi-isotopic tracer systems, especially the 233U/236U signature, to distinguish environmental emissions of unrevealed radioactive releases for nuclear safeguards, emergency preparedness and environmental tracer studies.

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