Irish Sea, English Channel, Malin Shelf, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea

Electrical conductivity of the water column; Salinity of the water column; Temperature of the water column; Radioactivity in water bodies; Concentration of suspended particulate material in the water column

Discrete water samplers; CTD; in-situ particle sizers

The distribution of artificial radionuclides released into the marine environment as a result of fuel reprocessing (Sellafield, La Hague, Dounreay), the normal operation of nuclear power stations (e.g. Sizewell, Winfrith, UK) and inadvertent releases (e.g. Chernobyl) have been investigated in detail. Annual surveys of caesium in the Irish Sea were carried out throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with less frequent surveys in more distant waters. Speciation measurements and Kd determinations have been made on many occasions for the transuranium radionuclides. Technetium and antimony measurements in the Channel and southern North Sea have been made as part of a collaborative EC MAST project. Two Irish Sea models have been developed to assist in the interpretation of the data. CTD and salinity data are also available.

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft Laboratory
Pakefield Road
Lowestoft
Suffolk
NR33 OHT
United Kingdom