Members of the Arctic Floating University expedition working on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago have detected an increase in radioactivity. The scientists observed an increase in radon flux, which, according to their preliminary assumptions, could be directly related to the process of permafrost thawing.
According to Evgeny Yakovlev, head of the Federal Research Centre’s Laboratory of Environmental Radiology, the crew of the research vessel Professor Molchanov reported the elevated levels that had been measured. According to his information, Yakovlev explained that in the same locations where measurements were taken last year, for example in Russkaya Gavan, the current radon levels are about twice as high. According to him, a thick layer of permafrost normally retains this radioactive gas, and its release to the surface indicates active melting of the subsoil.
At the same time, Yakovlev emphasised that the measurements taken did not pose a danger to humans, as the level of natural radioactivity is much higher in many other regions of Russia, such as the Kola Peninsula or the Caucasus. However, for Arctic regions, where indicators are usually very low, the change itself is an important indicator that may point to significant permafrost melting.
To investigate this phenomenon further, radioecologists took samples of local rock. Their analysis will determine how much radon they contain, the depth from which the gas originates and the extent to which the frozen soils are thawing as a result. This data will enable scientists to assess the extent of climate change in the Arctic more accurately.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal