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Assessment of the Contamination by 14C Airborne Releases in the Vicinity of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2019

Algirdas Pabedinskas ,
Evaldas Maceika ,
Justina Šapolaitė ,
Žilvinas Ežerinskis ,
Laurynas Juodis ,
Laurynas Butkus ,
Laurynas Bučinskas  and
Vidmantas Remeikis
Algirdas Pabedinskas*
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Evaldas Maceika
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Justina Šapolaitė
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Žilvinas Ežerinskis
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Laurynas Juodis
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Laurynas Butkus
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Laurynas Bučinskas
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
Vidmantas Remeikis
Affiliation:
State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių ave. 231, LT-02300 Vilnius, Lithuania
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

A radiocarbon (14C) activity analysis in the tree rings around Ignalina nuclear power plant (INPP) has been carried out with the aim to test the hypothesis to use 14C tree-ring analysis data as a tool for the reconstruction of gaseous releases from NPP to the environment. The INPP has been in decommissioning state since the end of 2009. Tree-ring samples for 14C analysis were collected 7 yr after final power unit shutdown from the INPP vicinity. The samples from 5 sampling locations were collected, prepared and measured using the Single Stage Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (SSAMS). Data analysis represents observable Ignalina NPP influence by 14C increase up to 15 pMC (percent modern carbon) in tree rings. Good correlations of the 14C concentrations and wind direction were obtained. The main purpose of this article was to match 14C measurement data along with the atmospheric dispersion modeling of emissions in order to retrospectively characterize the emission source.

Keywords

airborne releaseAMS14CcorrelationGaussian modelIgnalina NPPtree ringswind rose
Type
Conference Paper
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 61 , Issue 5: Radiocarbon 2018 Conference Proceedings Trondheim, Norway, June 17–22, 2018 Part 1 of 2 , October 2019 , pp. 1185 - 1197
Copyright
© 2019 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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Footnotes

Selected Papers from the 23rd International Radiocarbon Conference, Trondheim, Norway, 17–22 June, 2018

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