Information about ongoing marine

projects in Sweden

- C-14 in biota samples

- Longtime variations of radionuclides in Fucus

- Marine radioactivity monitoring

- Marine Contamination around Studsvik facility

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Analysis of C-14 in Biota Samples -

Method Development in a Modelling

Framework

Swedish Radiation Safety Authority(SSM)

Research Project

2018-05-15

Karin Aquilonius and Maria Nordén, SSM

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Content

General aims of project

Background

Project plan

Timeline

General aims of projectIncrease knowledge about C-14 from NPPs in

aquatic ecosystems

Contribute to the development of the national

and international ability to analyse C-14 in biota

samples, fast and cost-effective, with enough

accuracy

Produce a C-14 dataset from a Swedish marine

ecosystem, to be used for validation of models

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Background, Ringhals NPP

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Background

SSM projects 2015 – 2017

– Literature survey, method proposal 2015

– Equipment set-up 2016

– Development and validation of

method and pilot study 2017

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Background - Pilot study in 2017

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Development and validation of a method for determination of C-14 in

bladderwrack with combustion and LSC

40 samples from outside

Ringhals NPP

Validation with certified

reference material IAEA-C7

Measurement uncertainty

C-14 concentrations in line

with earlier measurements

by AMS in Sweden

Background - Pilot study

in 2017

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Maria Lüning

Fraction C-14 of total C in bladderwrack

outside Ringhals NPP

Project plan (1)

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Maria Lüning

Monthly sampling during an annual cycle

Sampling of water, bladderwrack, blue mussels

and fish for C-14 analysis

Sampling of water for chemical and physical

parameters, e.g. temperature, conductivity, pH,

oxygen and alkalinity

Project plan (2)

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Method development and

validation for new biota

sample types

Project plan (3)

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Reporting, data reports

Scientific paper

Modelling exercises

Sampling duringannual cycle2018-2019

Methoddevelopment and

analyses

2018-2019

Reporting, Scientific paper(s),

Modellingexercises

2019-2020

Timeline

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Long time variations of radioactive

substances and heavy metals in the

marine environment on the west coast

of Sweden, a study made in

bladderwrack (Fucus serratus och F.

vesiculosus)

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

The project has access to a large number of

samples of Fucus that has been collected at the

same place on the west coast of Sweden over a

50 year period. The project aims to use this

sample collection as well as recently taken

samples in order to continue following the

concentrations of Cs-137 (mainly from the

accident in Chernobyl) and other nuclides (from

the local nuclear facilities) and also to analyse Pu-

isotopes, Tc-99 and I-129 in the sample collection

for the 50 year period.

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Maria Lüning

Analyses of C-14 and heavy metal as Cadmium,

Lead, Mercury and Gadolinium will also be done

in a few samples. With this dataset of analyses of

samples taken over a 50 year period a unique

possibility is given to analyse trends and connect

these to facilities with ionising radiation both

regionally and globally. The project also aims to

contribute to increasing the national competence

concerning analyses of radioactive substances,

transport of radionuclides in the marine

environment and radioecology.

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Scope and time table

Continued collection of samples every other

month during 2018. Continous gamma

spectrometry analyses. Analyses of Plutonium

starts in 2018. Analyses of I-129, C-14 and the

stable substances are carried out januari-

december 2018.

The results will be reported both as partial reports

during the work and at SSM at beginning of 2019.

Preliminary final report to SSM at 2019-03-30.

The results from the project will also be published.

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Sampling

SGU ship, Ocean

Surveyor

Gemini sediment corer used

7 double cores at each

station

Cruises, 2003,2008,2014

Swedish Marine Environmental Monitoring Program

- aimed to study trends in pollutions

Samples collected 2008

SGU collected and freeze-dried the sediments

SSM contracted DTU NUTECH in Denmark to measure

selected sediment layers for their content of 137Cs and

210Pb by gamma spectrometry

SSM performed Pu and Am analysis in selected

sediment cores by alpha spectrometry

SSM analyzed the results and performed the dating of

the cores

CNA performed Pu AMS measurements

Sediment model

Three independent models were used

Cs-137 time marker in the sediment profile

(Chernobyl, 1986)

Pb-210 sediment model (assuming constant flux and

concentration of Pb-210)

Pu-isotopes, time marker in the sediment profile

(Chernobyl, 1986 and global fallout, 1963)

Sediment model, Pb-210(assuming constant flux and concentration of Pb-210)

Pb-210 sediment model

(assuming constant flux and

concentration of Pb-210):

– A(x)=A(0) exp(- λ * x / sed.rate) + Pbsup

Using nonlinear (weighted) least-

squares fitting in R

Fitted A0, sedimentation rate and

supported Pb-210

Advantage: Ra-226 not

necessary, easy and fast method

0 5 10 15 20 25

02

00

40

06

00

80

0

SE-1 08_0163, Ref.dato: 01-07-2008

Depth [cm]

Activity [B

q/k

g] +

+

++

+

++ +

Ex.Pb (at x=0), A0 = 822.6 +/- 37.1 Bq/kg

Sedimentation rate = 0.16 +/- 0.01 cm/y

Supported Pb = 60.4 +/- 12.8 Bq/kg

Cs-137 Sedimentation rate = 0.14 +/- 0.05 cm/y

A x A0exp depth sed.rate Pbsup

2005 +

/- 1

1998 +

/- 1

1992 +

/- 2

1979 +

/- 3

1967 +

/- 4

1954 +

/- 5

1941 +

/- 6

1928 +

/- 8

1916 +

/- 9

1890 +

/- 1

1

1877 +

/- 1

2

1865 +

/- 1

4

1852 +

/- 1

5

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Maria Lüning

- Results Published in:

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Marine Contamination around Studsvik facility

• Studsvik nuclear facility was built in the late 1950s

• Controlled aquatic discharge to the marine environment

• Tvären is a semi-sealed bay created 450 million years ago, by a meteor impact.

• Tvären has shallow (10-20 m) inlets and a deep central area (~75 meter)

• High sedimentation rate.

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Marine Contamination around Studsvik facility

• Sediments from 18 stations (gamma, beta and

alpha emitting radionuclides, 210Pb-dating)

• Scope: discharge history, radionuclide

distribution, transfer and mobility of radionuclides

in anoxic sediments, inventories

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Maria Lüning

Sediment sampling in Tvären with a HTH gravity corer

- Undisturbed laminated sediments

- Tube 90 mm sliced in 1 cm sections

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Maria Lüning

Analysis performed in the Tvären study:

- Literature study on the discharge history

- XRF (one core)

- Sr-90, Ni-63, Fe-55 (one core)

- Gamma analysis 8 cores

- Pu/Np (one core)

- Am/Cm (one core)

- Radiometric dating (3 cores)

- Data analysis and writing articles ongoing 0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2,5 7,5 12,5 17,5 22,5 27,5

K-40Bq/kg

Co-60Bq/kg x10

Cs-137Bq/kg

Am-241Bq/kg x10

Thank you

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

Maria Lüning

The analysis method for C-14 in biota samples

Based on method for ion-resins, quantifying organic

and inorganic 14C compounds present in sample

(Magnusson et al. 2007 & 2008).

Extraction of carbon by means of acid stripping

(inorganic 14C) and subsequent wet oxidation (organic 14C) in combination with a catalytic furnace (oxidized

and reduced gaseous compounds) with organic and

inorganic 14C species collected separately.

Low background liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC)

2018-05-29

Maria Lüning

The analysis method for C-14 in biota samples

2018-05-29