Search for latitudinal trends in the effective half-life of fallout 137Cs in vegetation of the Canadian Arctic

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Abstract
Using published data on the integrated deposition of fallout 90Sr (137Cs) until 1975 and current measurements of the,137Cs activity in plant communities along the latitudinal gradient north of 50° N, an estimate has been made of the 137Cs effective half-life, Teff, in the composite vegetation of the Canadian Arctic. The lichens Alectoria nigricans, Alectoria ochroleuca, Cladonia rangiferina, Cornicularia divergens, and Umbilicaria muhlenbergii were studied, as well as a moss, Polytrichum juniperinum, and the vascular cushion plants Dryas integrifolia, Saxifraga oppositifolia, and Silene acaulis. In all cases, the effective half-life increased with increasing latitude, the longest Teff (10–12 years) being exhibited by dry-habitat lichens at 80° N.

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