A numerical model to simulate the transport of radionuclides in the western Mediterranean after a nuclear accident

Abstract

The transport of radionuclides in the western Mediterranean Sea resulting from hypothetical accidents in a coastal nuclear power plant, and in a vessel with nuclear power or transporting radioactive material, was assessed with a Lagrangian model developed for this kind of accident assessment. Water circulation was obtained from the HYCOM global ocean model. The transport model was developed in spherical coordinates and includes advection by currents, three-dimensional turbulent mixing, radioactive decay, and radionuclide interactions between water and seabed sediments. Age calculations are included as well. A dynamic model based on kinetic transfer coefficients was used to describe these interactions. Mixing, decay, and water/sediment interactions were solved applying a stochastic method. Hypothetical accidents occurring at different moments were simulated to investigate seasonal effects in the fate of radionuclides. In addition, simulations for different radionuclides were carried out to investigate the effects of their different geochemical behaviours. Thus, in the case of a coastal release, 137Cs is transported at long distances from the source, while 239,240Pu stays close to the release point due to its strong reactivity, most of it being quickly fixed to the seabed sediment. In deep waters, in case of a surface release, 239,240Pu spreads over larger areas since sediments are not reached by radionuclides.