Subprogramme H.1. Measurement and Assessment of Radionuclides in the Marine Environment
Rationale:
The marine environment has been widely
impacted by nuclear activities and the measurement
and assessment of this impact requires further
investigation. Member States need information on the
present levels of radioactive and stable isotopes in
the marine environment in order to evaluate trends, to
study oceanographic processes and climate change,
and to predict future conditions. This assessment
requires the quantification of natural and
anthropogenic sources of radionuclides in the world's
oceans and seas, computer modelling of the
dispersion of radionuclides, and water and sediment
dynamics studies. Nuclear and isotopic techniques
provide tools to investigate oceanographic processes
and marine contamination on a quantitative basis and
to address the problems of coastal zone management.
Demand driven programmes of assistance to Member
States in the quality management of laboratories,
capacity building, design and implementation of
monitoring programmes, and the provision of
training will further improve the understanding and
protection of the marine environment. The Agency
acts in the framework of the United Nations Global
Programme of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities
(GPA) as a clearing house of information on
radioactive contamination in the marine environment,
and provides advice and assistance on marine
radioactivity to Member States (in Europe, North
Africa, East Asia, Latin America, South Pacific
region), as well as to regional and international
bodies, such as the Oslo-Paris Commission for
Protection of the Marine Environment of the NE
Atlantic (OSPAR), the Helsinki Commission, the
Barcelona Convention, and the Joint Group of
Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine
Environmental Protection (GESAMP).
This subprogramme concentrates on marine radioactivity assessment and contamination studies in the coastal regions and open seas with technical assistance to Member States, on the provision of radionuclide data, on climate change studies, on implementation of quality assurance programmes in Member State laboratories and provision of reference materials, on training and capacity building, and on the development of methods for analysis of radionuclides in the environment in response to emergencies.
Objective:
To enable Member States to assess current
and future levels of radioactive and stable isotopes in
the marine environment as affected by processes in
the water column and sediment, efficiently manage
marine coastal zones and understand climate change
phenomena.
Project H.1.01: Worldwide marine radioactivity studies in oceans and seas
Main outputs:
The project will result in: an improved
relational database - the Marine Information
System (MIS) - containing information on the
distribution and concentrations of radioactive and
stable isotopes in the marine environment and on
oceanographic parameters; technical guidelines on
the development of national and regional databases to
evaluate present levels of radioactive and stable
isotopes in the marine environment and predict future
conditions and trends in contamination of the marine
environment; guidance to Member States for a better
understanding of marine processes responsible for
future contamination of the marine environment; and
proceedings of an international conference on
environmental isotope studies.
Duration: 2002-2005
Project H.1.02: Contamination studies in selected coastal zones (in co-operation with UNESCO)
Main outputs:
The implementation of this project
will result in: a package of tools to identify and
quantify submarine groundwater discharge using
nuclear techniques; guidelines for quantitative
evaluation of the contribution of submarine
groundwater discharge to the water balance in coastal
zones and to the contamination of coastal waters by
heavy metals and organic compounds; improved
techniques for the investigation of water column
processes and sediment dynamics in coastal zones;
and effective integrated management of coastal zones
by Member States.
Duration: 2002-2005
Project H.1.03: Climate change studies using isotopic records in the marine environment (in collaboration with ICTP, Trieste)
Main outputs:
The project will produce: a package of
isotopic tools for environmental change
investigations based on model case studies developed
during the project; sea temperature records over the
past few hundred years and information on past
climate changes (2006); Ocean General Circulation
Model for computer modelling of the distribution of
isotopes in the oceans, atmosphere-ocean coupling
and climate change studies (2007); and trained
personnel in the application of nuclear and isotopic
methods in climate research.
Duration: 2004-2007
Project H.1.04: Analytical Quality Control Services for marine radioactivity studies
Main outputs:
The main outputs of the project will
be: certified reference materials for the analysis of
radionuclides in marine samples; procedures for
regional and global intercomparison exercises and
proficiency tests; guidelines for the implementation
of quality assurance/quality control programmes in
Member State laboratories to strengthen their
reliability; trained personnel (through the TC
programme) in quality assurance/quality control
programmes.
Duration: 2002-2005
Project H.1.05: Development of methods for analysis of low level radionuclide concentrations in the environment in response to emergencies
Main outputs:
The project will result in: methods for
low level analyses of radionuclides; guidelines for
sampling, sample pre-treatment, radiochemical
separation and spectrometric analyses; assistance in
the use of sensitive and reliable radioanalytical
techniques for the analysis of radionuclides in the
marine environment; and trained personnel (through
the TC programme).
Duration: 2002-2005
