Numerical simulation of the transport of radioactive cloud from the Chernobyl nuclear accident

Abstract

We present a first application of a hemispheric transport model to quantitatively evaluate thespreading of radioactive debris following the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The modelemployed in the simulation is essentially a simplified version of the Eulerian Long RangeTransport of Air Pollutants (LRTAP) model designed for continental scale applications.Meteorological data driving the model were obtained from the standard Canadian MeteorologicalCentre (CMC) analysis. Simulations were performed for Iodine-1 3 1, Cesium-1 37 andXenon-133. The accident scenario was estimated using data presented at the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts meeting in Vienna, in August 1986. Results of themodel simulation for Iodine-131 and Cesium-137 were verified against measurements forStockholm, Resolute, Halifax and Vancouver and indicate a relatively high level of agreementconsidering the simplicity of the approach.