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The surface of small glaciers as radioactive hotspots: Concentration of radioisotopes during predicted intensive melting in the Alps.
Buda, Jakub; Blazej, Sylwia; Ambrosini, Roberto; Scotti, Riccardo; Pittino, Francesca; Sala, Dariusz; Zawierucha, Krzysztof; Lokas, Edyta.
Afiliación
  • Buda J; Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. Electronic address: jakbud1@amu.edu.pl.
  • Blazej S; Department of Nuclear Physical Chemistry, The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
  • Ambrosini R; Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Italy.
  • Scotti R; Servizio Glaciologico Lombardo - Glaciological Service of Lombardy, Italy.
  • Pittino F; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
  • Sala D; Department of Mass Spectrometry, The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
  • Zawierucha K; Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland.
  • Lokas E; Department of Mass Spectrometry, The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.
J Hazard Mater ; 476: 135083, 2024 Sep 05.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38976963
ABSTRACT
Glaciers are considered secondary sources of pollutants, including radioisotopes such as Cesium or Plutonium, with heightened concentrations compared to other ecosystems. The predicted melting of glaciers poses a substantial risk of releasing stored radioisotopes, yet understanding the glacier-specific factors influencing their concentration remains limited. This study investigates the relationship between glacier altitude, surface area, organic matter content in dark supraglacial sediment (cryoconite), precipitation, and activity concentrations of natural (210Pb) and anthropogenic radionuclides (137Cs and 241Am) across 19 Alpine glaciers. Results indicate that radioisotope concentrations depend on organic matter content in the cryoconite, highlighting the role of biotic-abiotic interactions in pollutant accumulation on glaciers. Moreover, 210Pb activity concentration decreases with glacier altitude, likely due to atmospheric variations in 222Rn. Water precipitation events, such as during peaks in 137Cs deposition and after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster, do not impact current activity concentrations. Importantly, radioisotope concentrations in cryoconite are higher on smaller glaciers. This directly supports the hypothesis that the cryoconite retains a significant share of radioisotopes stored in the ice during intensive melting. Since many small glaciers in the Alps are predicted to disappear within the next 50 years, we anticipate release of radioisotopes to mountain ecosystems might be higher than previously forecasted.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: J Hazard Mater Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Países Bajos
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
Buscar en Google

Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Idioma: En Revista: J Hazard Mater Asunto de la revista: SAUDE AMBIENTAL Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article Pais de publicación: Países Bajos