44
The biggest inventory of uranium was found in the soils from SP S 1 and SP S 2
plots, which were located closer to Chernobyl NPP. Apparently, part of the uranium
in these soils can be of Chernobyl origin.
As shown in Fig. 1, the character of the radionuclide distribution in two alluvial
sod-podzolic sandy soils from the SP S 1 and SP S 2 plots differs markedly. In alluvial
soil from the SP S 1 plot, the biggest part of uranium was concentrated in the top
(0–5)-cm layer and in soil from SP S 2 plot—in (5–10)-cm layer. A longer period of
excessive waterlogging of the SP S 2 site compared to the SP S 1 site probably contributes to the removal of uranium from the (0–5)-cm soil layer at SP S 2 plot.
The peat-bog soil from P1 plot is characterized by a high content of organic
matter (79–82% of dry soil mass). At this plot, 39 % of the total uranium inventories
in the soil profile was in the (15–20)-cm layer, which may be due to the increase
with depth of the proportion of humic acid components that bind uranium, with a
commensurate total content of organic material.
Table 3 (continued)
Plot
Layer depth,
cm
ρ,
g/cm
3
TОM,
% of dry sample mass
A U , Bq kg
−1
S SL 2
0–5
0.19
11.0 ± 0.6
3.9 ± 0.4
5–10
0.17
18.8 ± 0.9
4.5 ± 0.4
10–15
0.42
6.4 ± 0.1
4.8 ± 0.4
15–20
0.39
1.2 ± 0.1
5.9 ± 0.4
20–25
0.36
0.63 ± 0.03
4.1 ± 0.4
25–30
0.29
0.29 ± 0.02
3.2 ± 0.2
30–35
0.33
0.31 ± 0.02
2.5 ± 0.3
35–40
0.38
0.33 ± 0.03
2.8 ± 0.3
S SL 3
0–5
0.22
0.98 ± 0.05
3.9 ± 0.4
5–10
0.12
1.3 ± 0.1
4.5 ± 0.4
10–15
0.23
0.8 ± 0.1
4.8 ± 0.4
15–20
0.18
1.6 ± 0.1
5.9 ± 0.4
20–25
0.32
1.4 ± 0.2
4.1 ± 0.4
25–30
0.30
1.4 ± 0.2
3.2 ± 0.2
30–35
0.36
0.7 ± 0.1
2.5 ± 0.3
35–40
0.27
0.6 ± 0.1
2.8 ± 0.3
Table 4 Inventories of
238
U
in the soil profiles (A S )
Plot A S , Bq/m
2
SP S 1 2,633 ± 93
SP S 2 2,310 ± 120
P1
92.9 ± 4.9
S SL 1 883 ± 29
P2
674 ± 1723
S SL 2 476 ± 17
S SL 3 634 ± 22
G. A. Sokolik et al.
The biggest inventory of uranium was found in the soils from SP S 1 and SP S 2
plots, which were located closer to Chernobyl NPP. Apparently, part of the uranium
in these soils can be of Chernobyl origin.
As shown in Fig. 1, the character of the radionuclide distribution in two alluvial
sod-podzolic sandy soils from the SP S 1 and SP S 2 plots differs markedly. In alluvial
soil from the SP S 1 plot, the biggest part of uranium was concentrated in the top
(0–5)-cm layer and in soil from SP S 2 plot—in (5–10)-cm layer. A longer period of
excessive waterlogging of the SP S 2 site compared to the SP S 1 site probably contributes to the removal of uranium from the (0–5)-cm soil layer at SP S 2 plot.
The peat-bog soil from P1 plot is characterized by a high content of organic
matter (79–82% of dry soil mass). At this plot, 39 % of the total uranium inventories
in the soil profile was in the (15–20)-cm layer, which may be due to the increase
with depth of the proportion of humic acid components that bind uranium, with a
commensurate total content of organic material.
Table 3 (continued)
Plot
Layer depth,
cm
ρ,
g/cm
3
TОM,
% of dry sample mass
A U , Bq kg
−1
S SL 2
0–5
0.19
11.0 ± 0.6
3.9 ± 0.4
5–10
0.17
18.8 ± 0.9
4.5 ± 0.4
10–15
0.42
6.4 ± 0.1
4.8 ± 0.4
15–20
0.39
1.2 ± 0.1
5.9 ± 0.4
20–25
0.36
0.63 ± 0.03
4.1 ± 0.4
25–30
0.29
0.29 ± 0.02
3.2 ± 0.2
30–35
0.33
0.31 ± 0.02
2.5 ± 0.3
35–40
0.38
0.33 ± 0.03
2.8 ± 0.3
S SL 3
0–5
0.22
0.98 ± 0.05
3.9 ± 0.4
5–10
0.12
1.3 ± 0.1
4.5 ± 0.4
10–15
0.23
0.8 ± 0.1
4.8 ± 0.4
15–20
0.18
1.6 ± 0.1
5.9 ± 0.4
20–25
0.32
1.4 ± 0.2
4.1 ± 0.4
25–30
0.30
1.4 ± 0.2
3.2 ± 0.2
30–35
0.36
0.7 ± 0.1
2.5 ± 0.3
35–40
0.27
0.6 ± 0.1
2.8 ± 0.3
Table 4 Inventories of
238
U
in the soil profiles (A S )
Plot A S , Bq/m
2
SP S 1 2,633 ± 93
SP S 2 2,310 ± 120
P1
92.9 ± 4.9
S SL 1 883 ± 29
P2
674 ± 1723
S SL 2 476 ± 17
S SL 3 634 ± 22
G. A. Sokolik et al.