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Consequences of hydrological events on the delivery of suspended sediment and associated radionuclides from the Rhône River to the Mediterranean Sea

  • SEDIMENTS, SEC 3 · HILLSLOPE AND RIVER BASIN SEDIMENT DYNAMICS · RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Almost 20 nuclear reactors are situated along the Rhône valley, representing Europe’s largest concentration of nuclear power plants. The fate of suspended sediments and natural and artificial particle-bound radionuclides in relation to extreme hydrological events was assessed at the lower course of the Rhône River, which provides the main source of water and sediment inputs to the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.

Materials and methods

We sampled water at a high frequency over the period 2001–2008 and measured suspended particulate matter (SPM) loads and particle-bound natural and artificial radionuclide concentrations at the SORA observatory station in Arles, France. We monitored various hydrological events (either natural or anthropogenic origin) and characterize their influence on concentrations and fluxes.

Results and discussion

The relationship between SPM concentration and the very wide range of water discharges did not differ significantly from previous periods, indicating no significant shift in the average sediment delivery over the last 20 years. Unexpected hydrological events of anthropogenic origin, in particular those associated with flushing of reservoirs that are generally not captured by sampling strategies, were recorded and were shown to transfer significant additional sediment and associated contaminants towards the marine environment. Concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides associated with sediment (i.e., 137Cs, 60Co, 54Mn, 110mAg, and Pu isotopes) varied over two to three orders of magnitude during periods of low and moderate flow due to variations in the liquid release from nuclear facilities. Except for Pu isotopes, the concentrations of the various particle-bound radionuclides generally showed a decreasing trend with increasing discharge, revealing the geochemical or anthropogenic background values, and providing a useful flood fingerprint for this large fluvial system before its entry into the marine environment.

Conclusions

Our approach produced key data on the level and fate of suspended solids and radionuclide concentrations during flood events occurring in a large river system that could be contaminated by chronic or accidental radioactive releases. These results are of fundamental importance for further interpretations of sediment dynamics at the river mouth.

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Acknowledgments

This work received the support of the French National Research Agency (ANR) through the ANR–EXTREMA project (contract no. ANR-06-VULN-005, 2007–2011) and from the competitive poles “Mer PACA” and “Gestion des Risques et Vulnérabilité des territories” (Risk Management and Vulnerability of territories). Additional funding was provided by the “Agence de l’eau Rhône–Méditérranée–Corse” (Water Agency Rhône–Mediterranean–Corsica), ORME program (Mediterranean Regional Observatory of the Environment), and ZABR-OSR (workshop area of the lower Rhone—Rhone Sediments Observatory). Liquid discharge data in Arles were available thanks to the CNR (Compagnie Nationale du Rhône). The authors gratefully acknowledge J.M. Fornier, V. Boullier, C. Cossonnet, and S. Thomas for their analytical and field work, two anonymous referees for their relevant and constructive comments, and T. Hinton for his English review of the document.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pôle Radioprotection, environnement, déchets et crise, PRP–ENV, Service d’Etude et de Surveillance de la Radioactivité dans l’Environnement, Laboratoire d’Etudes Radioécologiques en milieu Continental et Marin, Centre de Cadarache, IRSN, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Bat 153, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France

    Frédérique Eyrolle, Christelle Antonelli & Emmanuelle Ferrand

  2. CEREGE, UMR 6635 Aix-Marseille Université–CNR–IRD–Collège de France, Europôle Méditerranéen de L’Arbois, BP 80, 13545, Aix en Provence, France

    Olivier Radakovitch, Guillaume Raccasi & Stéphanie Jacquet

  3. Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie, OSU Pythéas, Case 901 TPRI 5ème étage, Campus de Luminy, 13288, Marseille cedex 9, France

    Patrick Raimbault

  4. Pôle Radioprotection, environnement, déchets et crise, PRP–ENV, Service d’Etude et de Surveillance de la Radioactivité dans l’Environnement, Laboratoire d’Etudes Radioécologiques en milieu Continental et Marin, IFREMER de Méditerranée, IRSN, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, BP 330, 83507, La Seyne sur mer, France

    Sabine Charmasson

  5. CEFREM, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia CNRS UMR 5110, 52, av Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France

    Dominique Aubert

  6. Pôle Radioprotection, environnement, déchets et crise, PRP–ENV, Service de Traitement des échantillons et de Métrologie pour l’Environnement, Laboratoire de Mesure de la Radioactivité dans l’Environnement, Bois des Rames, IRSN, Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, 91400, Orsay, France

    Rodolfo Gurriaran

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  1. Frédérique Eyrolle
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  2. Olivier Radakovitch
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  3. Patrick Raimbault
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  4. Sabine Charmasson
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  5. Christelle Antonelli
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  6. Emmanuelle Ferrand
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  8. Guillaume Raccasi
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  9. Stéphanie Jacquet
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  10. Rodolfo Gurriaran
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Correspondence to Frédérique Eyrolle.

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Eyrolle, F., Radakovitch, O., Raimbault, P. et al. Consequences of hydrological events on the delivery of suspended sediment and associated radionuclides from the Rhône River to the Mediterranean Sea. J Soils Sediments 12, 1479–1495 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0575-0

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