Environmental radioactivity in Caithness and Sutherland. Pt. 9

Measurements of the concentrations of artificial radionuclides in the coastal waters of northern Scotland in the period 1986 to 1989 are described. They include 60Co, 90Sr, 134Cs, 137Cs, 238Pu, 239,240Pu and 241Am. The media include nearshore seawater and suspended particulates, shoreline sediments, offshore seawater, bottom sediments, seaweeds, estuarine sediments and river waters. In addition to their dependence on natural processes, the variations in the concentrations of different radionuclides as functions of time and location demonstrate the changing effects of the main sources. These include the discharges from the industrial establishments at the AEA Technology, Dounreay, Caithness and the British Nuclear Fuels plc Sellafield Works, Cumbria, England, and the atmospheric deposits of debris from nuclear weapon testing and the reactor accident at Chernobyl, USSR. A note is included on the radiological consequences of the results. (author)