Nature Communications (Feb 2021)

An unknown source of reactor radionuclides in the Baltic Sea revealed by multi-isotope fingerprints

  • Jixin Qiao,
  • Haitao Zhang,
  • Peter Steier,
  • Karin Hain,
  • Xiaolin Hou,
  • Vesa-Pekka Vartti,
  • Gideon M. Henderson,
  • Mats Eriksson,
  • Ala Aldahan,
  • Göran Possnert,
  • Robin Golser

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21059-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

Read online

Anthropogenic activities lead to the accumulation of radioactive substances in the environment. Here the authors use multi-isotopic fingerprints of uranium and iodine to discover a previously unknown source of reactor uranium in the Baltic Sea, likely sourced from a Swedish nuclear facility.