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Models for transport and fate of carbon, nutrients and radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem at Oeregrundsgrepen

Abstract

The aim of the work was to provide supplementary input to the risk assessment of a planned final nuclear waste repository at Forsmark. The main deliverable was a computed water exchange between basins in the Forsmark marine area for the period 6500 BC to 9000 AD - based on the hydrodynamic modelling - to be used as input to the landscape dose model. In addition and what is described in this report, a second deliverable was development and application of high-resolution models for the marine ecosystem and radionuclide processes. The purpose of this deliverable was to illustrate the spatial and temporal variation in important processes and parameters, while constituting a complement to previous modelling approaches and providing supporting information to discussions of the marine ecosystem, parameters and variation (see Chapter 4 and 6).To this end, a hydrodynamic model of high temporal and spatial resolution was constructed and calibrated for the Forsmark area. An ecosystem model was then developed and coupled to the hydrodynamic model. In turn, a detailed radionuclide model was coupled to the ecosystem model to provide detailed predictions of radionuclide transport and accumulation in the coastal ecosystem. The ecosystem and radionuclide models were developed in the equation solver  More>>
Authors:
Erichsen, Anders Christian; Moehlenberg, Flemming; Closter, Rikke Margrethe; Sandberg, Johannes [1] 
  1. DHI, Hoersholm (Denmark)
Publication Date:
Jun 15, 2010
Product Type:
Technical Report
Report Number:
SKB-R-10-10
Resource Relation:
Other Information: 61 refs., figs., tabs.
Subject:
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL; CARBON; NUTRIENTS; RADIOISOTOPES; AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; SIMULATION
OSTI ID:
1038979
Research Organizations:
Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden)
Country of Origin:
Sweden
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ISSN 1402-3091; TRN: SE1208151
Availability:
Also available from: http://www.skb.se/upload/publications/pdf/R-10-10webb.pdf; OSTI as DE01038979
Submitting Site:
SWDN
Size:
89 pages
Announcement Date:
Apr 30, 2012

Citation Formats

Erichsen, Anders Christian, Moehlenberg, Flemming, Closter, Rikke Margrethe, and Sandberg, Johannes. Models for transport and fate of carbon, nutrients and radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem at Oeregrundsgrepen. Sweden: N. p., 2010. Web.
Erichsen, Anders Christian, Moehlenberg, Flemming, Closter, Rikke Margrethe, & Sandberg, Johannes. Models for transport and fate of carbon, nutrients and radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem at Oeregrundsgrepen. Sweden.
Erichsen, Anders Christian, Moehlenberg, Flemming, Closter, Rikke Margrethe, and Sandberg, Johannes. 2010. "Models for transport and fate of carbon, nutrients and radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem at Oeregrundsgrepen." Sweden.
@misc{etde_1038979,
title = {Models for transport and fate of carbon, nutrients and radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystem at Oeregrundsgrepen}
author = {Erichsen, Anders Christian, Moehlenberg, Flemming, Closter, Rikke Margrethe, and Sandberg, Johannes}
abstractNote = {The aim of the work was to provide supplementary input to the risk assessment of a planned final nuclear waste repository at Forsmark. The main deliverable was a computed water exchange between basins in the Forsmark marine area for the period 6500 BC to 9000 AD - based on the hydrodynamic modelling - to be used as input to the landscape dose model. In addition and what is described in this report, a second deliverable was development and application of high-resolution models for the marine ecosystem and radionuclide processes. The purpose of this deliverable was to illustrate the spatial and temporal variation in important processes and parameters, while constituting a complement to previous modelling approaches and providing supporting information to discussions of the marine ecosystem, parameters and variation (see Chapter 4 and 6).To this end, a hydrodynamic model of high temporal and spatial resolution was constructed and calibrated for the Forsmark area. An ecosystem model was then developed and coupled to the hydrodynamic model. In turn, a detailed radionuclide model was coupled to the ecosystem model to provide detailed predictions of radionuclide transport and accumulation in the coastal ecosystem. The ecosystem and radionuclide models were developed in the equation solver MIKE ECOLab that links seamless to the MIKE3 FM hydrodynamic model. The 'standard' ECOLab ecosystem model was extended with six biological state variables, perennial macroalgae, benthic herbivors, detritus feeders, planktivorus fish and, benthic predators representing the relict isopod Saduria and cod. In contrast to the ecosystem model, the radionuclide model was developed from scratch but building on the structure of the ecosystem model and using the output (process rates linking state variables) from the ecosystem model as input to the radionuclide model. Both the ecosystem model and the radionuclide model were run for several years (5-8 years) to bring state variables into quasi-stationary equilibrium within the model area. The coupled ecosystem and radionuclide models were used to simulate present conditions, i.e. 2020 AD. Six radionuclides were modelled explicitly in addition to C-14. They represent a wide range of accumulation potentials and partition coefficients (K{sub d}, distribution of radionuclides between water, sediment and biota). The ecosystem and associated radionuclide model include a detailed sediment module where radionuclides can be bound by adsorption to the organic and inorganic fractions, be precipitated, be transported by resuspension and later deposited at larger depths. With the exception of radionuclides with very low particle affinity, such as Cl-35, the majority of radionuclides released in basins where they were introduced via groundwater flow remained in the sediments even after a simulation period of eight years. The spread of radionuclides with high partition coefficients for sediments from areas with groundwater flow takes place by sediment resuspension and subsequent transport and sedimentation. In the case of radionuclides with lower partition coefficients, release from the sediments to the water column followed by transport of dissolved radionuclides by currents plays a larger role. A significant result of the modelling was the quantification of the seasonal and spatial variation in radionuclide accumulation and in bioconcentration factors (BCFs) with spatial variation of BCFs often ranging 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. This variation was dominated by spatial differences in concentrations of radionuclides in water. In basins where radionuclides were introduced by groundwater flow, BCFs were typically 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than in deep basins without radionuclide release in the groundwater. In phytoplankton and grazers, bioconcentration factors (BCFs) scaled linearly to partition coefficients (Kd), underlining the fact that adsorption is an important process for radionuclide accumulation in the lower parts of the food web, and also underlining the important role of Kd in the model. In contrast, BCFs w ere much higher in benthic fauna such as detritus feeders, and although Kd did influence BCFs the larger part of the variation was influenced by other processes including accumulation of radionuclides via food}
place = {Sweden}
year = {2010}
month = {Jun}
}