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NEW DATA ON THE RADIO-ECOLOGICAL STATUS FORMATION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT IN THE MURMANSK COAST (THE BARENTS SEA)
JOURNAL: Volume 16, No. 2, 2026, p. 264-273HEADING: Regional problems
AUTHORS: Ilyin, G.V., Usyagina, I.S.
ORGANIZATIONS: Murmansk Marine Biological Institute of Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences
DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-2-264-273
UDC: 551.46(268.45)+574.4+546.027
The article was received on: 15.07.2025
Keywords: sediments, Kola peninsula, radionuclides, bottom sediments, coastal sea zone, radiation sources, oceanographic conditions, Murmansk coast
Bibliographic description: Ilyin, G.V., Usyagina, I.S. New data on the radio-ecological status formation of the marine environment in the Murmansk coast (the Barents Sea). Arktika: ekologiya i ekonomika. [Arctic: Ecology and Economy], 2026, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 264-273. DOI: 10.25283/2223-4594-2026-2-264-273. (In Russian).
Abstract:
The article presents the results of radioecological and oceanographic studies in 2021—2023 in the open waters of the coastal zone and large bays of the Murmansk coast. The researchers have defined the current background levels of specific and volumetric activity of 137Cs and 90Sr radioisotopes in the marine environment, including infrastructure sites and routes for the evacuation of radioactive waste. A high level of radioactive contamination of the Murmansk coastal areas was detected in the 90s of the last century. Currently, a significant decrease in their concentration has been observed. According to the newly obtained data, radioisotope contamination of the coastal marine environment is differentiated, but is generally assessed as low, raising no concerns for the safety of natural resource management. The authors outline the impact of nuclear infrastructure facilities and Atlantic water flows in shaping an uneven background of man-made radioactivity in the marine environment. Local sources of radioactivity associated with the fleet infrastructure create a zone of relatively elevated radioisotope concentrations in the western part of the Murmansk coast. In the waters of Varangerfjord, Motovsky and Kola Bays, the 137Cs levels locally increase to 3.8 Bq/m3, and the 90Sr levels reach 7 Bq/m3 with average values of 1.7 and 3.0 Bq/m3, correspondently. In bottom sediments, the maximum 137Cs level reaches 6 Bq/kg, and 90Sr levels reach 4 Bq/kg, with coastal averages of 2.5 and 1.7 Bq/kg, correspondently. However, short-lived radionuclides have not been detected here. Apparently, residual traces of contamination are being washed out, resulting in non-incidental radionuclide releases.
Finance info: The collection of expedition and archival materials and the processing of the materials presented in the article were carried out within the framework of the State Assignment of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (State registration no. 124013000709-9). The synthesis of long-term radioecological monitoring data was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant No. 22-17-00243-P “Radiation oceanology and geoecology of the coastal shelf of the Barents and White Seas. Biocidal interactions in the system: sediments — water — macroalgae — microorganisms, their role in remediation of the marine coastal ecosystem under radiation and chemical pollution in the Arctic”.
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