Radioactivity and earth sciences: Understanding the natural environment

Virtually all natural substances contain radionuclides to a greater or lesser degree. Such natural radioactivity - discovered by French physicist Henri Becquerel a century ago - today is being put to practical uses in many fields of science and industry. The discovery and subsequent utilization of fission and fusion reactions have added new elements to the pool of radioactive materials present in the environment. Numerous radionuclides have been added to the earth's ecosystem mainly through atmospheric nuclear bomb tests, and through emissions from the nuclear industry, among others. Tracking their transport through different compartments of the global ecosystem provides new insights into the dynamics of the atmosphere and the hydrological cycle