Work

Incorporating Radioactive Decay Chains Within Lagrangian Marine Radionuclide Transport Models for Assessing the Consequences of Nuclear Accidents

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Lagrangian particle-tracking models are increasingly used to simulate radionuclide transport in marine environments, especially for assessing the consequences of accidental releases. However, existing models generally neglect radioactive decay chains, limiting their ability to reproduce the complete behavior of radionuclides and their progeny. To the authors’ knowledge, this work presents the first implementation of radioactive decay chains within a fully three-dimensional Lagrangian marine radionuclide transport model, explicitly coupling stochastic particle tracking with decay kinetics and dynamic sediment–water interactions, enabling a realistic simulation of parent–daughter transformations in the ocean. The approach is tested for the chain in the Western Mediterranean Sea, following a hypothetical nuclear accident. Results confirm that the stochastic treatment accurately reproduces analytical decay solutions and can be seamlessly incorporated into operational-scale transport simulations. The framework can be extended to other radionuclide series and marine domains, providing a versatile and computationally efficient tool for emergency response, environmental impact assessment, and safety analysis in nuclear engineering applications.

Source: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

DOI: 10.3390/jmse14040328

Authors: Carmen Cortés, Raúl Periáñez

Institution: Universidad de Sevilla

Language: English

Topic: Radioactive contamination and transfer

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Florida International University