Accumulated 90Sr deposition in the Faroe Islands from nuclear weapons tests

The Faroese environment has received anthropogenic radionuclides from the nuclear weapons tests and from the Chernobyl accident, primarily as wet deposition. The annual precipitation varies across the country, from around 820mm to around 3260mm (Lysgaard, 1969; Cappelen & Laursen, 1998). This implies large geographical variations in the concentrations of deposited radionuclides.

This study covers the pre-Chernobyl period. A relationship between total accumulated 90Sr deposition and average annual precipitation is established at two Faroese sites with long time series of90Sr in rainwater. Using these as reference sites, estimates are given for total accumulated 90Sr deposition at other sites, where no deposition data are available.