The impact of diagnostic wind field model on the results of calculation of microscale atmospheric dispersion in moderately complex terrain conditions was investigated. The extensive radiological and ...meteorological data set collected at the site of the research reactor of the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) in Canada had been compared with the results of calculations of the Local Scale Model Chain of the EU nuclear emergency response system JRODOS. The diagnostic wind field model based on divergence minimizing procedure and the atmospheric dispersion model RIMPUFF were used in calculations. Taking into account complex topography features with the use of diagnostic wind field model improved the results of calculations. For certain months, the level of improvement of the normalized mean squared error reached the factor of 2. For the whole simulation period (January–July, 2007) the level of improvement by taking into account terrain features with the diagnostic wind field model was about 9%. The use of diagnostic wind field model also significantly improved the fractional bias of the calculated results. Physical analysis of the selected cases of atmospheric dispersion at the CRL site had been performed.
•Microscale atmospheric dispersion was calculated for 7-months period.•Results of calculations were compared with measurements available each 10 min.•Using the diagnostic wind model in moderately complex terrain improved the results.
The Chernobyl accident heavily contaminated the largest aquatic system in the Ukraine, requiring the development of a model-based decision support system in the field of aquatic radioecology. The ...main objectives of the system were to simulate and predict radionuclide dispersion in the Pripyat-Dnieper River-reservoir system, assess the effectiveness of special hydraulic countermeasures designed to decrease the rate of radionuclide dispersion in the water bodies, and support the Dnieper reservoirs' management operations. A hierarchy of mathematical models was developed. A two-dimensional (2-D) vertical-longitudinal model, a 2-D lateral-longitudinal model, a one-dimensional (1-D) channel model and a box-type model are briefly presented. These models describe the main features of radionuclide dispersion, including the processes governing radionuclide-sediment interactions. Examples of the models' applications are presented to show the peculiarities of radionuclide dispersion in this aquatic system.
This modeling study evaluated the aquatic environment affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident and the effectiveness of remediation efforts. The study results indicate that radionuclide ...concentrations in the Pripyat and Dnieper rivers were well above the drinking water limits immediately after the Chernobyl accident but have decreased significantly in subsequent years due to flushing, burying, and decaying. Because high concentrations of
Sr90
and
Cs137
, the major radionuclides affecting human health through the aquatic pathways, are associated with flooding, two earthen dikes were constructed along the Pripyat River. The left-bank dike alone was successful in reducing the
Sr90
concentration in the river by half. The
100-m
-high, movable New Safe Confinement (NSC), which will cover the current Chernobyl Shelter, will reduce radionuclide contamination further in these rivers and nearby groundwater. If the Chernobyl Shelter should collapse before the NSC is built, the resulting peak radionuclide concentrations in the Dnieper River are expected to still remain below the drinking water limits. The radionuclide influx to groundwater through the NSC should not have any effect on concentrations in the Pripyat River.
