Studies of estuarine sediment dynamics using 137Cs from the Tjernobyl accident as a tracer

Sediment dynamics in the Oere River estuary in northern Sweden were studied by monitoring the turnover of particles associated with 137Cs in surface sediment and sediment traps during the period following the Chernobyl accident in late April until late November 1986. River transported material was deposited in the estuary and then frequently redistributed due to resuspension-redeposition processes during the ice-free period. There was a slow net transport of particles out of the estuary which was delayed by at least one event with a significant particle redistribution to the inner part of the estuary. Wind and wave induced water dynamics are responsible for resuspension and transport of particles. (author)