Reductive Changes in the Radiation State of Bottom Sediments off the Coast of Novaya Zemlya
A. Yu. Miroshnikova, *, M. V. Flintb, S. G. Poyarkovb, and G. I. Nadyarnykha
aInstitute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Petrography, Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
bShirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
email: *alexey-miroshnikov@yandex.ru
Received 18 May, 2025
Abstract— The article presents the results of analysis of changes in the radiation state of bottom radiocesium activity in bottom sediments off the coast of Novaya Zemlya that have occurred over a period of 30–35 years. Based on direct observations and extrapolation of the results obtained, it was found that the radioactive contamination that in the 1960s and 1970s formed zones of increased radiocesium activity in bottom sediments of the coast of Novaya Zemlya had completely degraded. A conclusion is drawn about the geochemical stability of Arctic marine ecosystems and their ability to self-recover over time, provided that there are no new active sources of anthropogenic radionuclides.
Keywords:
radiocesium,
137Cs,
anthropogenic radionuclides,
Barents Sea,
Kara Sea,
Novaya Zemlya,
atmospheric nuclear tests,
radioactive contamination,
bottom sediments,
geochemical stability,
glaciers cryoconite
DOI: 10.1134/S0001437025700420