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| Environmental Science - Aquatic Pollution |
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| The Aquatic Pollution Group possesses a broad range of modelling and applied experience on the impact and fate of liquid effluent discharges in the environment. Particular attention is focused on coastal, intertidal and estuarine environments although other environmental compartments (aerial, terrestrial and freshwater) are investigated within the group. We have used our collective experience and expertise to assist clients from various industry sectors to successfully apply for discharge authorisations from the UK regulators. Such activities demand an up-to-date knowledge of current environmental legislation. |
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| The intelligent use of environmental models throughout the group is key for its commercial and academic success. The range of modelling capabilities that exist within the group include: |
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- Application of commercially developed 2D models to investigate the dispersion of contaminants in the vicinity of liquid effluent outfalls. We have extensive experience in the application of these models in the following UK coastal environments.
- Solway Firth- impact of radionuclide and chemical discharges for IPC applications.
- Teeside- academic research into the impact of nutrient discharges on the Tees estuary and surrounding coastal area.
- The Irish Sea- impact of radionuclides and metals discharged from industrial sites on the Cumbrian coast.
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- Investigation of proposed discharge solutions for protection of bathing waters from sewage outfalls.
- Impact of unauthorised discharges from industrial sites.
- Development of biokinetic dose models using output from dispersion codes.
- St Bees Head - impact of chemical discharges on SSSI’s for COMAH reporting and EQS applications.
- Development of 2D problem specific models to predict the impact of discharges in estuarine environments.
- Ribble estuary- investigation of radionuclide and sediment transport in the estuary and its predicted impact using a vertically resolving estuarine sediment model.
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| We have also developed in-house MEAD, a Marine Environment Advection Dispersion model. This platform has been applied to the Irish Sea, modelling the transport of radionuclides in the marine environment and their associated impacts on humans. Application of the commercially available POSEIDON model (developed by CEPN, France) and PC CREAM (developed by NRPB, UK) allows us to venture beyond the Irish Sea to investigate all European seas. |
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| Using our models, experience and expertise we are active in: |
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- Support to industry and/or regulators for consent to discharge effluent applications.
- Emergency support to industry for effluent spills in the environment.
- Environmental Litigation.
- Effluent toxicity testing - interpretation and derivation of Environmental Quality Standards (EQS).
- External gamma dose rates - temporal and spatial studies.
- Investigation of the effect of industrial discharges on non-human species.
- Physical and chemical characterisation of environmental and engineering derived materials.
- Alpha and gamma - ray analysis of environmental samples.
- Biokinetic modelling of radionuclides in marine biota.
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| Some of our recent work includes: |
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| TPPB: Modelling, monitoring and analysis of the impact on 99Tc marine discharges |
| Activities within the Aquatic Pollution Group during 2002 and 2003 were instrumental in assisting BNFL Sellafield to reduce their 99Tc discharges through the use of TPPB. The success of the overall work was described in ENDS report 351 (April 2004), the Environment Agency’s website (April 2004) and the British Nuclear Group newspaper ‘Focus’ in May 2004. This work has important international political impact as the Norwegian Government is very pleased at this development and the reduced impact such discharges will have in Norwegian waters. The APG contribution was to initially model the dispersion of TPPB from the sea pipeline under a variety of weather and tidal conditions. The MIKE21 platform was used for this study. Once plant tests began on the discharge of effluent containing TPPB, we were in a position to implement a shoreline sampling strategy and arrange for these samples to be analysed for the presence of TPPB. This fieldwork and modelling study assisted BNFL’s discussions with the regulators to recommend and adopt the use of TPPB to reduce the 99Tc discharges. |
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| MSc module delivery |
| During April and May 2005, several members of the Aquatic Pollution Group contributed to the second year of delivery of MSc modules on the Westlakes campus. Between the 25th and 29th April 2005, a module on Environmental Decision Making was delivered to a group of 6 attendees consisting of MSc students and professional staff. From the 9th to 13st May, the second module on the Principles of Radiological Impact Assessment will be delivered at the Westlakes Research Institute. |
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| A third module entitled ‘Decommissioning/Waste/Environmental Management’ will be delivered between the 20th and 24th June 2005. |
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| Recent publications group members have contributed to |
| Brown, J.E., Jones, S.R. , Saxén, R., Thørring, H. and Vives i Batlle, J. (2004). Radiation doses to aquatic organisms from natural radionuclides. J. Radiol. Prot. 24 (4A): A63-A77. |
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| Copplestone, D., Jackson, D., Hartnoll, R. G., Johnson, M. S., McDonald, P. and Wood, N. (2004) Seasonal variations in activity concentrations of 99Tc and 137Cs in the edible meat fraction of crabs and lobsters from the central Irish Sea, J. Environ. Radioactivity, 73, 29 – 48. |
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| Copplestone, D., Wood, M.D., Merrill, P.C., Allott, R., Jones, S.R., Vives i Batlle, J. , Beresford, N.A. and I. Zinger, I. (2004). Impact Assessment of Ionising Radiation on Wildlife: Meeting the Requirements of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. Radioprotection, Suppl. 1, vol. 39 (2004). |
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| French, M. A., Zhang, H., Pates, J. M., Bryan, S. E., and Wilson, R. C. (2005) Development and performance of the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique for the measurement of Technetium-99 in seawater. Anal. Chem., 77 (1), 135-139. |
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| Leonard, K S, McCubbin, D, McDonald, P, Service, M, Bonfield, R and Conney, S (2004). Accumulation of technetium-99 in the Irish Sea?, Sci. Total Environ., 322, 255 - 270. |
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| Lutman, E, Jones, S R, McDonald, P, Lambers, B and Hill, R (2004). Comparison between the predictions of a Gaussian plume model and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model for annual average calculations of long-range dispersion of radionuclides, J. Environ. Radioactivity, 75, 339 – 355. |
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| MacKenzie, A B, Cook, G T, Barth, J, Gulliver, P and McDonald, P (2004) 14C and 13C characteristics of organic matter and carbonate in saltmarsh sediments from south west Scotland, J. Environ. Monitoring, 6, 441 – 447. |
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| McDonald, P, Bryan, S E, Hunt, G J, Baldwin, M, and Parker T P (2005) Field and model investigations of external gamma dose rates along the Cumbrian coast, NW England, J. Radiol. Prot., 25, 67-82. |
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| Olsen, Y.S. and Vives i Batlle, J. (2003). A model for the bioaccumulation of 99Tc in lobsters (Homarus gammarus) from the West Cumbrian coast., J. Environ. Radioactivity 67(3) 219-233. |
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| Vives i Batlle, J., Jones, S.R. and Gómez-Ros, J.M. (2004). A method for calculation of dose per unit concentration values for aquatic biota. J. Radiol. Prot., 24 (4A): A13-A34. |
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| Vives i Batlle, J. , Wilson, R.C. , Mc Donald, P. and Parker, T.G.P. (2005). A biokinetic model for the uptake and release of radioiodine by the edible periwinkle Littorina littorea. In: International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies – Aquatic Forum 2004, 25– 29 October 2004, Monaco. IAEA CN11853, pp. 92-93. J. Environ. Radioactivity (Special issue in press). |
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| Vives i Batlle, J., Wilson, R.C., McDonald, P. and Parker, T.G.P. (2005). Uptake and depuration of 131I by the edible winkle Littorina littorea: Uptake from seawater. J. Environ. Radioactivity, 78(1): 51-67. |
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| Wilson, R.C., Vives i Batlle, J. , Mc Donald, P. and Parker, T.G.P. (2005). Uptake and depuration of 131I by the edible periwinkle Littorina littorea: uptake from labelled seaweed (Chondrus crispus). J. Environ. Radioactivity 80(3), 259-271. |
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| Conferences / meetings / workshops recently attended |
- COGER (Co-ordinating Group for Environmental Radioactivity) meeting, University of West of England, Bristol, 11 - 13 April 2005 – Paul McDonald, Richard Wilson.
- International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies – Aquatic Forum 2004, 25– 29 October 2004, Monaco - Jordi Vives i Batlle.
- Challenger Society for Marine Science, Liverpool, 13-17 September 2004 - Philippe Gleizon.
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| Conferences / meetings / workshops to attend in the near future |
- 2nd International Conference on Radioactivity in the Environment & 6th International conference on environmental radioactivity in the Arctic and the Antarctic, 2-6 October 2005, Nice, France.
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| Current Research interests |
| The range of interests currently within the group consist of: |
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- Direct Toxicity Assessment (DTA) of liquid effluent
- Behaviour of radionuclides in marine biota leading to Biokinetic Modelling
- Dispersion modelling of liquid effluents in marine near-field and far-field environments
- Behaviour of radio-iodine in the marine and terrestrial environment
- Interaction of radionuclides in offshore sediments
- Particle size characterisation
- Sea to land transfer studies
- Impact of radionuclide discharges on biota
- Estuarine processes and radionuclide transport
- Impact assessment of radiological discharges
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| Client Sector |
| Our range of clients currently include the following sectors: |
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- Nuclear Industry
- Chemical Industry
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Water Utilities
- UK Government & Agencies
- European Union
- University Research
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| Contact |
| For more information about Aquatic Pollution services or to discuss how we could assist your business need, please contact: aquatic.pollution@westlakes.ac.uk |
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| Alternatively, please contact the Environmental Science Administration Office: esadm@westlakes.ac.uk (Tel: 01946 514094). |
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