Assessing the natural and anthropogenic changes of radioactivity in complex eco-systems

Farid El-Daoushy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Sweden

Previous disasters and ongoing climate-environment changes can shape our thinking for radiological assessment strategies

Large-scale and long-term assessment of nuclear disasters depends on transport and chemistry processes. Chernobyl

dominated by tropospheric and local surface water processes.

Assessment strategies for the Nile Basin , and other African rivers, would be different. Are we prepared to face similar disasters in these regions? What would be the impacts and how can we set up an appropriate assessment agenda.

European surface water are primarily forced by atmospheric and local catchment interactions

Surface water are multi-scale systems with local, regional & global interactions. Natural and artificial radioactivity were assessed in European inland waters. Scales and interactions were detailed using Lake-catchment systems.

Surface water interactions in the Nile Basin has much more

large scale dynamics as compared by the

European ones. The spatio-temporal scales of this complex river

system are much more comprehensive due to its complex boundaries and intensive coupling

with climate and environment.

Decision Making Process for Sustainable Water Resource Management Path

Actors/Level Criteria LimitationsPolicy Instrument

Multinational/(1)

International / (1)

Economic

Welfare

PerformanceFinance, Technology Transfer

Treaties, Directives

Uncertainties Cost, Technology,

Environ. impacts

Commercial / (2)

Government/(2&3)

Resources

Sustainability

Laws, Regulations,

Guide-lines, R & D,

Lack of analytical tools/observation and field facilities

Water Utilities/(3) Quality Economic/Prices

Insufficient funds

Lack of skills, weak institutions

Consumers / (4)

Public Groups /(4)

Information

Others

Timing, Requirements (e.g. permission, rules)

Public Information Lack of interest

Industry/ mining

Transport Energy Environment Water Health Agriculture Tourism RP

International Interaction and Trans-national Coordination/Management

Level (2)*National Interactions Between Water Sector and Rest of the Economy

Level (3)*Precipitation/

FloodSurface water

Ground water

Potable water

Hydropower

Naviga- tion

Sewage/Sanitation

Irriga- tion

Coastalwater

Level (4)*** R & D Based Monitoring and Planning

Supply Management Demand Management

Burundi Congo Egypt Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Sudan Tanzania Uganda

Level (1)*

Lakes and rivers are space-time indicators of atmospheric and land-based human activities

Studies of complex water systems involve assessment of the interacting sub-compartments and associated boundaries

Mass-balance of lake-catchment systemsHärsvatten: a reference lake in acid rain studies

Internal processes

External processes

Field and laboratory infra-structures for model development, tests and validation

Atmospheric Flux

AC Atmospheric Flux

A

CatchmentInventory QC(t)

Lake WatersInventory Q(t)

Transportfrom

Catchment

Loss viaoutflow

C(t)

O(t)

To sediment record

Global inventories of Pu in soils and lakes

Solid line based on worldwide data from Hardy et al. 73. Inventories for the other nuclides from nuclear weapons tests can be deduced from known ratios .

Delayed effects in surface water