Recent trends in marine radioecology

This paper attempts to review some recent trends in the field of marine radioecology. It is focused on the NW European continental shelf and NE Atlantic and is not intended to be comprehensive but rather consider some specific issues which it is hoped will have wider interest and application. Marine radioecology in the past decade, in a European context, has been undertaken against a background of largely declining trends: direct discharges from nuclear facilities have continued to be reduced overall (OSPAR undertaking); the marine impact of Chernobyl has lessened; inputs of natural radionuclides from the phosphate industry, and other sources, have decreased significantly; and, in general concentrations of artificial radionuclides in environmental samples have decreased. There have been exceptions: some direct discharges have increased (e.g. 99Tc and 129I from reprocessing wastes); some existing sources (e.g. oil and gas) or potential sources (e.g. accidental releases, dumped waste in the Kara Sea) have received more attention