Distribution of 137 Cs in the marine environment from King George Island (Southern Shetlands, maritime Antarctica)

The article presents data on the activity of the radionuclide Cs in seawater, sediment, macroalgae, and zoobenthos from different locations in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, maritime Antarctica. The activity of Cs in the macrophytobenthos remained relatively stable across species, oscillating at the level of 1 Bq kg dw. However, a few individuals exhibited higher activity, particularly at stations closer to the glacier front. This result could have been caused by specific conditions resulting from melting glaciers and meltwater inflow and mixing with oceanic water. The activities of Cs in zoobenthic were in the range from 0.12 Bq kg dw (Asteroidea) to 24.2 Bq kg dw (Porifera) and the total doses in marine species were several orders of magnitude lower than reference levels. Stable isotopes of δ C and δ N suggest that the main factor influencing Cs activity may be the source of carbon (marine vs. terrestrial/glacial), rather than feeding strategy or trophic niches.