This reference explores oceanographic and biological conditions involved in the transfer and accumulation of radionuclides in marine sediment and biota of the Northern European seas. Much of the content synthesizes decades of work by the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. This forms the basis of a new methodological and theoretical framework describing radionuclide bioaccumulation by marine invertebrate and vertebrate animals, with special attention to marine food webs leading to humans.

Inhalt

1 History and methods.- 2 Sources and pathways of artificial radionuclides in northern seas.- 3 The pelagic ecosystem.- 4 The benthic zone.- 5 The coastal zone.- 6 Marine vertebrates.- 7 Transfer and assimilation of radionuclides in marine ecosystems.- 8 Radioactive monitoring principles for marine ecosystems.- Conclusion.- References.