Vertical Distribution of Cs-137 in Soils of Orel Region 30 Years after Chernobyl Accident

The article presents the first results of the study of vertical redistribution of Radiocaesium in different types of agricultural soils of the Orel region, performed in the period 2016-2017. Orel region, one of the 19 regions of Russia, where as a result of the Chernobyl accident (1986) large areas were contaminated with various radionuclides, including Cs-137, with soil contamination level Cs-137 above 1 Ki/km2 (37 kBq/m2). The work was carried out as a private initiative study within the field teaching and scientific practice of the Ecology Faculty of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN). It was found that the main stock of Radiocaesium falls on the top 20 cm of arable soils. Despite the overall reduction in dose over 30 years, Radiocaesium is still traceable to a depth of 40-50 cm, depending on soil type, organic matter content, particle size distribution and other factors. © 2020 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.