Radionuclides Distribution and Associated Ecological Risk in the Environment of Armenian Mountains

The paper summarizes the results of radioecological monitoring in the mountainous regions of Armenia in order to identify the distribution of radionuclides (natural Ra-226, Th-232 and artificial Cs-137) and the associated environmental risks in the mountainous environment of Armenia. Soil samples from the surface of eight mountain ridges and massifs were collected along altitude (900–3200 m above sea level). Gamma spectrometry has been used to identify radionuclides and measure activity concentration. A significant correlation was found between Ra-226 and Th-232, no statistically significant correlation was observed between Cs-137 and natural radionuclides. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test reveal the height-dependent pattern of the studied radionuclides in the soil: the concentration of Cs-137 activity increases with height, the variances of the average values of the Ra-226 and Th-232 activity concentrations do not change in absolute height. An assessment of the ecological risk to non-human biota using the ERICA Tool identified risk factors (RQs) and limiting reference organisms in the mountain environment is presented.