DISTRIBUTION OF RADIONUCLIDES AND TRACE ELEMENTSIN THE LICHEN COVER OF WEST SIBERIAN REGIONS
V.D. Strakhovenko, B.L. Shcherbov, and E.I. Khozhina
United Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
Keywords: Biogeochemistry, lichens, environmental pollution, radionuclides, trace elements, vertical and horizontal distribution, West Siberia
Pages: 207-217
Abstract
Lichens are widespread in the vegetative cover of West Siberia, particularly in its north, where they serve as one of the links of the natives' food chain. They play an important role in the migration and transformation of chemical pollutants. This paper presents results of studying the effect of some factors on the accumulation of chemical elements in the lichen cover.Throughout the study area, lichens have background average contents of trace elements close to those in the Arctic regions of Eurasia. Elevated contents have been established only for Cd and Mn in the Altai Territory and for Pb and Cr throughout the West Siberian region. We studied the ratios of concentrations of man-induced radionuclides (137Cs, 90Sr, 238,239,240Pu) and trace elements (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, Co, Hg) in the upper and basal parts of the lichen and in the underlying soil substrate. The average specific activity of 137Cs in the lichen cover of northern West Siberia is higher than that in southern West Siberia - 153 and 44 Bq/kg, respectively.
|
