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Babić D, Skoko B, Franić Z, Senčar J, Šoštarić M, Petroci L, Avdić M, Kovačić M, Branica G, Petrinec B, Bituh T, Franulović I, Marović G. Baseline radioecological data for the soil and selected bioindicator organisms in the temperate forest of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020; 27:21040-21056. [PMID: 32266621 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08369-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to provide baseline radioecological data for the temperate forest ecosystem in Plitvice Lakes National Park. Emphasis was placed on the determination of naturally occurring radionuclides since there is an acknowledged lack of data for these radionuclides in non-accident conditions in wildlife, even for bioindicator organisms. Activity concentrations of 238U, 226Ra, 210Pb, 232Th, 40K, 134Cs, and 137Cs were measured by gamma spectrometry in soil and bioindicators: earthworms, conifer needles, mosses, and lichens. From the measured activity concentrations, concentration ratios were calculated to quantify the transfer of these radionuclides from soil to bioindicators. Our results show that soil activity concentrations are biased toward results from other studies conducted within the Dinaric mountain region. However, in moss and lichen samples, we measured higher activity concentrations of 226Ra and lower activity concentrations of 40K and 137Cs in comparison to similar studies. Also, we estimated lower concentration ratios for all radionuclides from soil to these organisms, except for 210Pb, in comparison to generic values. The transfer of 238U was generally low for all of the bioindicator organisms. For conifer needles, a correlation was found between activity concentrations of 226Ra and 137Cs in soil and related concentration ratios. Correlation was also found between the activity concentration of 40K in soil and transfer of 40K and 137Cs to mosses and lichens. A comparison with literature data highlighted the lack of 226Ra related concentration ratios for conifer trees and especially for earthworms. Therefore, the results of this study could supplement the sparse data currently available on radionuclide background data in similar ecosystems and related soil-to-wildlife transfer of radionuclides. Dose rate assessments, performed by the ERICA Tool, estimated that 96% of the overall exposure of wildlife in the Park area is due to the background dose rates, while 0.06 μGy h-1 on average can be attributed as an incremental dose rate from 134Cs and 137Cs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinko Babić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Božena Skoko
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Zdenko Franić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasminka Senčar
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marko Šoštarić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ljerka Petroci
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mak Avdić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Milica Kovačić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gina Branica
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Branko Petrinec
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tomislav Bituh
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Iva Franulović
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gordana Marović
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000, Zagreb, Croatia
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Ivanić M, Fiket Ž, Medunić G, Furdek Turk M, Marović G, Senčar J, Kniewald G. Corrigendum to "Multi-element composition of soil, mosses and mushrooms and assessment of natural and artificial radioactivity of a pristine temperate rainforest system (Slavonia, Croatia)" [Chem. 215 (2019) 668-677]. Chemosphere 2019; 234:987-989. [PMID: 31208674 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maja Ivanić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Željka Fiket
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Gordana Medunić
- Faculty of Science, Department of Geology, Horvatovac 95, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Martina Furdek Turk
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gordana Marović
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska Cesta 2, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasminka Senčar
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska Cesta 2, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Goran Kniewald
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Ivanić M, Fiket Ž, Medunić G, Furdek Turk M, Marović G, Senčar J, Kniewald G. Multi-element composition of soil, mosses and mushrooms and assessment of natural and artificial radioactivity of a pristine temperate rainforest system (Slavonia, Croatia). Chemosphere 2019; 215:668-677. [PMID: 30347361 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.10.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates multi-element composition of soil, mosses and mushrooms from a pristine temperate rainforest (Prašnik, Croatia). Additionally, the activity levels of natural (238U, 235U and 232Th decay chains, 40K and 7Be) and anthropogenic (137Cs and 134Cs) radionuclides in the investigated soil samples, obtained by gamma spectrometry, provide baseline of environmental radioactivity levels in this area. The aim of investigation was to explore the uptake of metal(loid)s by bioindicator species (mosses, mushrooms) growing in a pristine environment characterized by naturally elevated concentration of metals. The calculated enrichment and bioaccumulation factors, correlations between different groups of elements and similar multi-element patterns in mosses, mushrooms and soil samples revealed the prevailing influence of the local substrate geochemistry on element concentrations in mosses and mushrooms. The results suggest atmospheric deposition of Bi, Cd and Pb, while radionuclide activities point to atmospheric fall-out (including global contamination by radiocaesium) and influence of the pedological substrate. The confined area of investigation, with limited variations in soil characteristics and geological composition, allowed clearer insight into the origin of metal(loid)s in mosses and mushrooms. On the other hand, using bioindicator species with different element uptake mechanisms enabled distinction between different sources of elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Ivanić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Željka Fiket
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Gordana Medunić
- Faculty of Science, Department of Geology, Horvatovac 95, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Martina Furdek Turk
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Gordana Marović
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jasminka Senčar
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Goran Kniewald
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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Abstract
Long-term data on ground-level environmental radioactivity are analysed, these referring to daily records of the total β activity in air and absorbed dose rate between 1976 and 2016 in Zagreb, Croatia. A Fourier analysis of these two datasets reveals a periodic behaviour with numerous periods ranging from approximately four months to roughly 21 years. Ninety per cent of the periods agree remarkably well with known periodicities in solar activity throughout solar cycles 21–24, which suggests that the observed modulations were most probably caused by variations in the cosmogenic radionuclide production in the upper atmosphere. Hence, one can extract the fine structure of solar activity from environmental radioactivity monitoring data, which implies that it could be possible to supplement the existing information on the exposure of Earth to cosmic rays by analysing results from radioactivity monitoring stations all over the world. These datasets cover Earth densely due to the existence of a global radioecological network and are complementary to those resulting from dedicated cosmic ray detection experiments. Because of that, such analyses might possibly lead to new findings.
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Babić D, Senčar J, Petrinec B, Marović G, Bituh T, Skoko B. Fine structure of the absorbed dose rate monitored in Zagreb, Croatia, in the period 1985-2011. J Environ Radioact 2013; 118:75-79. [PMID: 23257217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Revised: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We report on the fine structure of the absorbed dose rate D which was measured and recorded on a daily basis at the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb, Croatia, throughout the period 1985-2011. After the Chernobyl accident, D increased steeply by a factor of 3.5, but this is the only prominent feature in the D versus time (t) curve. In the absence of accidental conditions, the D(t) is flat and amounts to 30-35 pGy/s. Despite the apparent plainness of D(t), its Fourier transform reveals several periodic modulations hidden in the noise. Some of the corresponding periods (6 and 12 months) can be related to seasonal atmospheric changes but this is not the case with the other periods identified (9.3, 13.7, 15.7, 20, 31, and 39 months). These are found to agree well with literature data on periodicities in solar activity, which implies that they are most probably linked to variations in the atmospheric production of (7)Be by cosmic rays.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Babić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
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