Radioactive Contamination of the Caspian Sea

Abstract
Between 1967 and 1975, the highest levels of radioactive contamination were observed in the northern part of the Caspian Sea and amounted to 100 Bq.m-3 for 90Sr, 19 Bq.m-3 for 137Cs and 11 kBq.m-3 for tritium. In 1975, the average concentrations of these isotopes in the surface waters of the central and southern parts of the Caspian Sea were 17 Bq.m-3, 9.6 Bq.m-3 and 4 kBq.m-3 respectively. In the period 1967-1975, the 90Sr inventory in water of the northern part of the Caspian Sea decreased by 50%, and in the surface layer (0-50 m) of the central and southern parts of the Caspian Sea it decreased by 25%. In the Caspian Sea as a whole, the 90Sr inventory over the period of 8 years remained practically the same and in 1975 amounted to 990 TBq. In the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the 137Cs/90Sr ratio is 0.25. At the same time, the 137Cs/90Sr ratio practically does not change with depth in the central and southern parts of the Caspian Sea and is, on average, 0.55.