A revised IAEA data compilation for estimating the soil to plant transfer of radionuclides in tropical environments

Highlights: • Plant-soil concentration ratio data for tropical environments were compiled in the IAEA MODARIA II programme. • More than 800 summary values were derived from over 10,000 observations. • Plant-soil concentration ratios are generally higher in tropical environments than temperate environments. • A new IAEA Technical Document on soil to plant transfer in non-temperate environments is being prepared. A revision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Technical Report Series No. 472 (TRS 472) transfer parameter data for root uptake of radionuclides by crops in tropical environments was conducted under the IAEA Modelling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessments (MODARIA II) programme (2016–2019). Data on concentration ratios between plant and soil (CR_plant-soil) were collated and summarised following a specific data selection process based on the Köppen-Geiger classification of tropical (class A) climates. An overview of the data collation and analysis methods is presented together with a comparison of CR_plant-soil values between the revised tropical dataset and TRS 472 datasets. The revised dataset of CR_plant-soil values for tropical environments is part of the IAEA MODARIA II programme Technical Document on soil to plant transfer of radionuclides in non-temperate environments.