Ecosystem uptake and transfer of Sellafield-derived radiocarbon (14C) part 2: The West of Scotland

Kieran M Tierney; Graham K P Muir; Gordon T Cook; Gillian MacKinnon; John A Howe; Johanna J Heymans; David J Hughes; Sheng Xu

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.11.014

Ecosystem uptake and transfer of Sellafield-derived radiocarbon (¹⁴C) part 2: The West of Scotland

Mar Pollut Bull. 2017 Feb 15;115(1-2):57-66. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.11.014. Epub 2016 Nov 26.

Authors

Kieran M Tierney¹, Graham K P Muir², Gordon T Cook³, Gillian MacKinnon³, John A Howe⁴, Johanna J Heymans⁴, David J Hughes⁴, Sheng Xu³

Affiliations

¹ Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, Scotland, UK; The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK. Electronic address: k.tierney.1@research.gla.ac.uk.
² Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, Scotland, UK; The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK.
³ Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, Scotland, UK.
⁴ The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK.

PMID: 27899176
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.11.014

Abstract

Ecosystem uptake and transfer of Sellafield-derived radiocarbon (¹⁴C) were examined within the West of Scotland marine environment. The dissolved inorganic carbon component of seawater, enriched in ¹⁴C, is transported to the West of Scotland where it is transferred through the marine food web. Benthic and pelagic biota with variable life-spans living in the North Channel and Clyde Sea show comparable ¹⁴C activities. This suggests that mixing of ¹⁴C within the Irish Sea results in a relatively constant northwards dispersal of activity. Benthic species in the Firth of Lorn have similar ¹⁴C enrichments, demonstrating that Irish Sea residual water is the dominant source to this area. Measured ¹⁴C activities in biota show some similarity to western Irish Sea activities, indicating that dispersion to the West of Scotland is significant with respect to the fate of Sellafield ¹⁴C releases. Activities measured in commercially important species do not pose any significant radiological risk.

Keywords: Marine ecosystem; Radiocarbon ((14)C); Sellafield; West of Scotland.

MeSH terms

Carbon Isotopes / analysis*
Food Chain*
Scotland
Seawater*

Substances

Carbon Isotopes