137Cs in a raised bog in central Sweden

The vertical distribution of 137Cs activity in peat soil profiles and 137Cs activity concentration in plants of various species was studied in samples collected at two sites on a raised bog in central Sweden. One site (open bog) was in an area with no trees and only a few sparsely growing plant species, while the other (low pine) was less than 100 m from the open bog site and had slowly growing Scots pine, a field layer dominated by some ericaceous plants and ground well-covered by plants. The plant samples were collected in 2004–2007 and were compared with samples collected in 1989 from the same open bog and low pine sites. Ground deposition of 137Cs in 2005 was similar at both sites, 23 000 Bq m−2. In the open bog peat profile it seems to be an upward transport of caesium since a clear peak of 137Cs activity was found in the uppermost 1–4 cm of Sphagnum layers, whereas at the low pine site 137Cs was mainly found in deeper (10–12 cm) layers. The migration rate was 0.57 cm yr−1 at the open bog site and the migration centre of 137Cs was at a depth of 10.7, while the rate at the low pine site was 0.78 cm yr−1 and the migration centre was at 14.9 cm. Heather (Calluna vulgaris) was the plant species with the highest 137Cs activity concentrations at both sites, 43.5 k Bq−1 DM in 1989 decreasing to 20.4 in 2004–2007 on open bog and 22.3 k Bq kg−1 DM in 1989 decreasing to 11.2 k Bq−1 DM by the period 2004–2007 on the low pine site. 137Cs transfer factors in plants varied between 0.88 and 1.35 on the open bog and between 0.48 and 0.69 m2 kg−1 DM at the low pine site.