Changing the contents of 137Cs in various objects of the forest ecosystems of the ChNPP exclusion zone during the calendar year

Abstract

Seasonal changes in the content of ¹³⁷Cs in the soil and vegetation of forest ecosystems on the territory of the Chernobyl exclusion zone have been studied. Dependences of changes in ¹³⁷Cs concentrations on the season of the year in the soils were not revealed. In the needles and branches of P. sylvestris, the maximum values of the ¹³⁷Cs concentration are noted in spring and summer. As a result of the studies, a linear relation was found between seasonal changes in the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in needles and branches of P. sylvestris in testing areas with different levels of contamination. Changes of the ¹³⁷Cs content in the studied organs of P. sylvestris, which coincide in time on different testing areas, indicate common regularities of the ¹³⁷Cs redistribution at the soilvegetation chain in forest ecosystems throughout the year.