dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaEstimation of the Adriatic sea water turnover time using fallout 90Sr as a radioactive tracer
| Authors | Z. Franic |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0410247 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0410247 |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2004.11.005 |
| Journal | Journal of Marine Systems 57 (2005) 1-12 |
Abstract
Systematic, long term measurements, starting in 1963, of 90Sr activity concentrations in sea water have been performed at four locations (cities of Rovinj, Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik) along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic sea. In addition, fallout samples were collected in the city of Zadar. 90Sr activity concentrations are in good correlation with the fallout activity, the coefficient of correlation being 0.72. After the nuclear moratorium on atmospheric nuclear bomb tests in 1960s, 90Sr activity concentrations in sea water exponentially dropped from 14.8 +/- 2.4 Bq/m3 in 1963 to 2.0 +/- 0.3 Bq/m3 in 2003. In the same period, the total annual 90Sr land surface deposit in Zadar fell by three orders of magnitude, from 713.3 Bq/m2 in 1963 to 0.4 Bq/m2 in 2003. Using strontium sea water and fallout data, a mathematical model was developed to describe the rate of change of 90Sr activity concentrations in the Adriatic sea water and estimate its mean residence time in the Adriatic. By fitting the experimental data to a theoretically predicted curve, the mean residence time of 90Sr in the Adriatic sea water was estimated to be approximately 3.4 +/- 0.4 years, standard deviation being calculated by Monte Carlo simulations. As in physical oceanography 90Sr can be used as effective radioactive tracer of water mass transport, this value also reflects the upper limit for turnover time of the Adriatic sea water. The turnover time of 3.4 years for the Adriatic sea water is in reasonable agreement with the value which was estimated, by studying water flows through the Strait of Otranto, to be on the order of 1 year.
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"abstract": "Systematic, long term measurements, starting in 1963, of 90Sr activity\nconcentrations in sea water have been performed at four locations (cities of\nRovinj, Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik) along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic\nsea. In addition, fallout samples were collected in the city of Zadar. 90Sr\nactivity concentrations are in good correlation with the fallout activity, the\ncoefficient of correlation being 0.72. After the nuclear moratorium on\natmospheric nuclear bomb tests in 1960s, 90Sr activity concentrations in sea\nwater exponentially dropped from 14.8 +/- 2.4 Bq/m3 in 1963 to 2.0 +/- 0.3\nBq/m3 in 2003. In the same period, the total annual 90Sr land surface deposit\nin Zadar fell by three orders of magnitude, from 713.3 Bq/m2 in 1963 to 0.4\nBq/m2 in 2003. Using strontium sea water and fallout data, a mathematical model\nwas developed to describe the rate of change of 90Sr activity concentrations in\nthe Adriatic sea water and estimate its mean residence time in the Adriatic. By\nfitting the experimental data to a theoretically predicted curve, the mean\nresidence time of 90Sr in the Adriatic sea water was estimated to be\napproximately 3.4 +/- 0.4 years, standard deviation being calculated by Monte\nCarlo simulations. As in physical oceanography 90Sr can be used as effective\nradioactive tracer of water mass transport, this value also reflects the upper\nlimit for turnover time of the Adriatic sea water. The turnover time of 3.4\nyears for the Adriatic sea water is in reasonable agreement with the value\nwhich was estimated, by studying water flows through the Strait of Otranto, to\nbe on the order of 1 year.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0410247",
"authors": [
"Z. Franic"
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"doi": "10.1016/j.jmarsys.2004.11.005",
"journal_ref": "Journal of Marine Systems 57 (2005) 1-12",
"title": "Estimation of the Adriatic sea water turnover time using fallout 90Sr as a radioactive tracer",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0410247"
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