Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age
A simple approach for estimating the equivalent diffusion for diagnosing tracer transport is proposed. Two different expressions are derived; one is based directly on an analytical solution of the two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation, the other uses the variance of the tracer distribution. T...
Published in: | Advances in Atmospheric Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/36318 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y |
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ftunistlouisbrus:oai:dial.uclouvain.be:boreal:36318 2024-05-12T08:07:22+00:00 Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age Orre, Steinar Gao, Yongqi Drange, Helge Deleersnijder, Eric UCL 2008 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/36318 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y eng eng Science China Press boreal:36318 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/36318 doi:10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y urn:ISSN:0256-1530 urn:EISSN:1861-9533 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 25, no. 5, p. 805-814 (2008) equivalent diffusion passive tracers age tracers sellafield dounreay info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2008 ftunistlouisbrus https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y 2024-04-18T18:16:12Z A simple approach for estimating the equivalent diffusion for diagnosing tracer transport is proposed. Two different expressions are derived; one is based directly on an analytical solution of the two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation, the other uses the variance of the tracer distribution. To illustrate some features of the equivalent diffusion and possible applications thereof, idealized releases of passive tracers from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at Sellafield in the Irish Sea and Dounreay on the northern coast of Scotland have been simulated with a regional isopyenic co-ordinate Ocean General Circulation Model. Both continuous and pulse releases are considered; the former being representative of the actual historical discharges from the reprocessing plants, the latter resembling an accidental scenario. Age tracers are included to calculate the mean time elapsed since the tracers left their source regions. It is found that in the Nordic Seas the age of tracers from Dounreay is approximately 2 years younger than the age from Sellafield. Although tracers from both sources eventually end up along the same transport routes, significant qualitative differences regarding the dispersion properties are found. It is argued that one single parameter, the equivalent horizontal diffusion, which is estimated to be in the range of 20-56 m(2) s(-1) from Sellafield and 170-485 m(2) s(-1) from Dounreay, determines these differences. Article in Journal/Newspaper Nordic Seas DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) Advances in Atmospheric Sciences 25 5 805 814 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) |
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ftunistlouisbrus |
language |
English |
topic |
equivalent diffusion passive tracers age tracers sellafield dounreay |
spellingShingle |
equivalent diffusion passive tracers age tracers sellafield dounreay Orre, Steinar Gao, Yongqi Drange, Helge Deleersnijder, Eric Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
topic_facet |
equivalent diffusion passive tracers age tracers sellafield dounreay |
description |
A simple approach for estimating the equivalent diffusion for diagnosing tracer transport is proposed. Two different expressions are derived; one is based directly on an analytical solution of the two-dimensional advection-diffusion equation, the other uses the variance of the tracer distribution. To illustrate some features of the equivalent diffusion and possible applications thereof, idealized releases of passive tracers from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants at Sellafield in the Irish Sea and Dounreay on the northern coast of Scotland have been simulated with a regional isopyenic co-ordinate Ocean General Circulation Model. Both continuous and pulse releases are considered; the former being representative of the actual historical discharges from the reprocessing plants, the latter resembling an accidental scenario. Age tracers are included to calculate the mean time elapsed since the tracers left their source regions. It is found that in the Nordic Seas the age of tracers from Dounreay is approximately 2 years younger than the age from Sellafield. Although tracers from both sources eventually end up along the same transport routes, significant qualitative differences regarding the dispersion properties are found. It is argued that one single parameter, the equivalent horizontal diffusion, which is estimated to be in the range of 20-56 m(2) s(-1) from Sellafield and 170-485 m(2) s(-1) from Dounreay, determines these differences. |
author2 |
UCL |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Orre, Steinar Gao, Yongqi Drange, Helge Deleersnijder, Eric |
author_facet |
Orre, Steinar Gao, Yongqi Drange, Helge Deleersnijder, Eric |
author_sort |
Orre, Steinar |
title |
Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
title_short |
Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
title_full |
Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
title_fullStr |
Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
title_full_unstemmed |
Diagnosing Ocean Tracer Transport from Sellafield and Dounreay by Equivalent Diffusion and Age |
title_sort |
diagnosing ocean tracer transport from sellafield and dounreay by equivalent diffusion and age |
publisher |
Science China Press |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/36318 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y |
genre |
Nordic Seas |
genre_facet |
Nordic Seas |
op_source |
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 25, no. 5, p. 805-814 (2008) |
op_relation |
boreal:36318 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/36318 doi:10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y urn:ISSN:0256-1530 urn:EISSN:1861-9533 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-008-0805-y |
container_title |
Advances in Atmospheric Sciences |
container_volume |
25 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
805 |
op_container_end_page |
814 |
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1798850021537349632 |