Expedition in the Atlantic: Search for 200,000 nuclear waste barrels started!

Expedition in the Atlantic: Search for 200,000 nuclear waste barrels started!

The search for radioactive waste in the northeast Atlantic has started and not only raises scientific questions, but also fears about the long -term consequences of these decades of environmental pollution. Between the 1950s and 1980s, several countries have disposed of over 200,000 barrels with nuclear waste in the immeasurable depths of the Atlantic. These are some of the frightening facts that come to light as part of the new Nodssum project.

The expedition, which focuses more than 1,000 kilometers west of La Rochelle in an area, aims to map the main fitting zone of the barrels and to examine the behavior of radionuclides in the deep ocean. Project manager Patrick Chardon estimates that most waste will lose their radioactivity after about 300 to 400 years. Only around two percent of the waste could shine longer, although the barrels are not designed to include the dangerous radiation in the long term. The common thing? So far, the consequences of nuclear waste disposal have been largely unknown and the ecosystem in the region has little researched, as the

The technology in use

To discover the barrels, the diving robot Ulyx is used. With a diving depth of up to 6,000 meters and the ability to get 10 meters to the barrels, Ulyx will carry out the first scientific dives. During the one-month mission, the team will combine various technologies, including corying systems for sediment samples and a rosette sampler for water samples. The collected data should not only map the unloading places, but also examine the effects of radioactive waste on the navy by installing traps for fish and crustaceans, according to the CNRS .

Another concern is to comply with radio protection measures throughout the expedition. Instruments for measuring radioactivity are provided to carry out first reviews. The rehearsals collected should then reach various laboratories in Europe, where they are further analyzed. This mission helps to better understand the effects of the atomic heritage on our oceans and informs future research projects.

The condition of the marine environment

The current research efforts are in the context of the global problem about radioactive stress in seas. Since the 1960s, sea water, suspended matter and sediments in the North and Baltic Sea have been examined for artificial radioactivity. The Federal Office for Sea shipping and hydrography has taken over the surveillance since the introductions of European reprocessing were significantly reduced. According to BSH , the activity concentrations of artificial radionuclides in the German water area are low today.

However, there is a dark panorama in the Baltic Sea, where higher specific activities of CS-137, a long-lasting radionuclid, are documented. The health risks for consumers of fish or marine products are low, but the question remains open how these loads will influence our ecosystems in the long run.

summarized, we are faced with a remarkable scientific challenge that concerns both the past and the future of our marine environment. The results of the nodsum mission will be of extreme importance to understand which memories and radiation spirits from the time of the nuclear age will still appear from the depths of the Atlantic.