A particle-tracking method for simulating the dispersion of non-conservative radionuclides in coastal waters.

A particle-tracking method has been used to simulate the dispersion of non-conservative radionuclides in the sea. Three dimensional turbulent diffusion and the interactions between water, suspended matter and bottom sediments are simulated using a stochastic method. Kinetic transfer coefficients, as in finite difference models, are used to describe the transfers between the liquid and solid phases. Deposition of suspended matter and erosion of sediment are also included in the model. The method has been applied to simulate the dispersion of 137Cs and (239,240)Pu in the English Channel and the results have been compared with those of a finite difference model. The results from both techniques are, in general, in good agreement.