Evolution and fluxes of 137Cs in the Black Sea/Turkish Straits System/North Aegean Sea

The vertical profiles of 137Cs were determined in the North Aegean, Marmara and Black Seas, to assess inventories and fluxes of the radionuclide in these basins. The inventory of 137Cs in the Western Black Sea integrated from the surface down to 400m water depth is 3.4±0.1kBqm−2, which is surprisingly close to the amount determined in 1988, decay corrected to 2007 (2.9±0.1kBqm−2). On the other hand, based on the comparison of profiles roughly 20years apart, it is estimated that about 1kBqm−2 has been transferred from above the halocline to depths below the halocline, emphasizing the effective redistribution of tracers within the same period.