Experimental verification of dynamic radioecological models established after the Chernobyl reactor accident

The experiments reported were carried out for a verification of existing, dynamic radioecological models, especially of the ECOSYS model. The database used for the verification covers the radioactivity concentrations of Cs-134, Cs-137, I-131 measured after the Chernobyl reactor accident in foodstuffs and environmental samples, the results of field experiments on radionuclide translocation after foliar uptake or absorption by the roots of edible plants. The measured data were compared with the model predictions for the radionuclides under review. The Cs-134 and Cs-137 translocation factors which describe the redistribution of these radionuclides in the plant after foliar uptake were experimentally determined by a single sprinkling with Chernobyl rainwater, and were measured to be the following as a function of sprinkling time: winter wheat, 0.002-0.13; spring wheat, 0.003-0.09; winter rye, 0.002-0.27; barley, 0.002-0.04; potatoes, 0.05-0.35; carrots, 0.02-0.07; bush beans, 0.04-0.3; cabbage, 0.1-0.5. The weathering half-life of the radionuclides in lettuce was determined to be ten days. Transfer factors determined for root absorption of Cs-137 were measured to be an average of 0.002 for grains, 0.002 for potatoes, 0.004 for white cabbage, 0.003 for bush beans and carrots, and 0.007 for lettuce. There was an agreement between the ECOSYS model predictions and the measured radioactivity concentrations of the corresponding radionuclides. (orig./HP)