Results of Marine Radioecological Study of Fjords of Western Spitsbergen

The patterns of the distribution of technogenic radionuclides 137 Cs and 90 Sr in the water mass and bottom deposits of three fjords of Western Spitsbergen (Isfjorden and its arms Grønfjorden and Billefjorden) were studied. The hydrological processes affecting migration of radionuclides in these water bodies were described. It was shown that the ice sheet of the archipelago that accumulates atmospheric precipitation is a source of radioactive contamination of the marine environment of the coast. Technogenic isotopes were accumulated during nuclear weapon testing in the second half of the twentieth century. The current climatic changes strengthen the role of glaciers in the contamination of arctic seas. It was noted that extrema of the 137 Cs and 90 Sr specific activity is mainly concentrated in the areas of glacier runoff discharge.