A comprehensive database of radioecological data on arid and semi-arid climates. IUR task group on radioecology in arid regions

The behaviour of radionuclides is well investigated in regions with temperate climate, e.g., after accidents such as Chernobyl and more recently Fukushima and other releases due to e.g., nuclear weapon testing. However, limited radioecological data are available for tropical regions and especially for arid or semi-arid climates. Relevant publications are scarce; only very few laboratory experiments have been conducted to study the migration of radionuclides in soil and water, and to determine transfer of radionuclides to endemic plants and animals. In order to investigate the influence of climate change on transfer behaviour of radionuclides, the IUR has established a task force to study the transfer in dry regions. The objective of the IUR taskforce is to create a state-of-the-art database on the behaviour of the major radionuclides in arid regions, and to identify existing gaps including studies not yet published or available in the open literature. Currently, our data base has about 850 entries both for Natural occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides from 14 countries located in arid zones. The Data base includes transfer factors for 37 different plants and fruits. There are both, plants to be found in temperate climate and endemic plants specific for arid climate, such as palm dates, okra, Jew's-mallow etc. The comparison of transfer factors for arid and temperate climates (TRS472) shows essential differences.