Current ionising radiation doses in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone do not directly impact on soil biological activity

Beresford, NA; Wood, M; Gashchak, S; Barnett, CL

Abstract

Although soil organisms are essential for ecosystem function, the impacts of radiation on soil biological activity at highly contaminated sites has been relatively poorly studied. In April-May 2016, we conducted the first largescale deployment of bait lamina to estimate soil organism (largely soil invertebrate) feeding activity in situ at study plots in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Across our 53 study plots, estimated weighted absorbed dose rates to soil organisms ranged from 0.7 μGy h-1 to 1753 μGy h-1. There was no significant relationship between soil organism feeding activity and estimated weighted absorbed dose rate. Soil biological activity did show significant relationships with soil moisture content, bulk density (used as a proxy for soil organic matter) and pH. At plots in the Red Forest (an area of coniferous plantation where trees died because of high radiation exposure in 1986) soil biological activity was low compared to plots elsewhere in the CEZ. It is possible that the lower biological activity observed in the Red Forest is a residual consequence of what was in effect an acute high exposure to radiation in 1986.

Citation

Beresford, N., Wood, M., Gashchak, S., & Barnett, C. (2022). Current ionising radiation doses in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone do not directly impact on soil biological activity. PLoS ONE, 17(2), e0263600. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263600

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 22, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 23, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 23, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 24, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2022
• Journal: PLOS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 2
• Pages: e0263600
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263600
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263600
• Related Public URLs: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/
• Additional Information: Additional Information : ** From PLOS via Jisc Publications Router ** Licence for this article: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ **Journal IDs: eissn 1932-6203 **Article IDs: publisher-id: pone-d-21-24695 **History: published_online 23-02-2022; accepted 22-01-2022; collection 2022; submitted 30-07-2021; Funders : Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);Radioactive Waste Management Ltd;natural environment research council; Projects : TRansfer - Exposure - Effects (TREE): integrating the science needed to underpin radioactivity assessments for humans and wildlife;NE/L000318/1;NE/L000520/1; Grant Number: NE/L000318/1; Grant Number: NE/L000520/1