Marine radioecology and waste management in the Adriatic.

This paper gives a review of marine radioecology research in the Adriatic area carried out by the Radiation Protection Unit of the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health. Measurements of radioactivity in the Adriatic started in 1963 as a part of an extended monitoring programme of radioactivity in Croatian environment. The main sources of radioactive contamination of the Adriatic Sea are the fallout from past nuclear weapon testing conducted in the atmosphere and the Chernobyl accident. In 2005, the activity concentrations of fission radionuclides were detectable at very low levels in all environmental samples collected on the Adriatic. The 90Sr data obtained from long-term monitoring were used to estimate the upper limit of the Adriatic seawater turnover time, which turned out to be (3.4 +/- 0.4) years. Detailed knowledge about seawater circulation, including the turnover time is essential for planning an overall communal and other wastewater management on the Adriatic coast. The paper concludes with the prospects for future marine radioecological investigations.