The estimation of local marine dispersion of radionuclides from hydrographic survey data

One of the most important stages in the assessment of the radiological impact of routine discharges of activity to the sea is the estimation of the local dispersion characteristics. Existing methods for defining the parameters required by the computer program CODAR2 are expanded to take into account the significance of the turbulence generated by the discharge, the effect of a shelving sea bed and the variation with time of the lateral dispersion coefficient. These methods also enable the importance of the timing of discharges and the variation of radionuclide concentrations along the coast to be considered. Calculations of local marine dispersion depend directly upon the information that is available from hydrographic surveys. Detailed consideration is given to the definition of model parameter values from data that are generally available from such surveys. The uncertainties involved in mathematical modelling and parameter specification suggest that the long term average radionuclide concentration in the vicinity of the release can be estimated to within a factor of 2 or 3, with estimates more likely to be greater than, rather than less than the actual value. This uncertainty will contribute to the net uncertainty in any radiological assessment of critical group exposure. (author)