Yenisey River

The contribution of Ob and Yenisey River runoff to overall radioactive transport is not significant at the present time, except during extremely heavy floods, which happen very rarely. 

The SSMAE allows for estimation of the flow of pollutants between the different water areas of the Arctic Basin. For example, the transport of heavy metals and oil hydrocarbons from the Barents Sea to the Kara Sea is 631 kg yr 1 and 473kgyr 1, respectively. The total flow of pollutants from the Russian coastline to Alaska varies in Table 6.10 between 0.3% and 0.9% of the initial flow. As is evident from curves 3 and 4 of Figure 6.8, the flow of the Ob and Yenisey Rivers has practically no influence on the pollution level of Arctic waters near Alaska. This effect does not change over time. 

Figure 6.8. Dependence of the concentrations of heavy metals (ip + e) and radionuclides (e =137Cs+60Co) at different geographical points as a function of the flow (F) of the Of/ and Yenisey Rivers to the Kara Sea. The interval between the dashed lines corresponds...

The Yenisey River flows northward to the Kara Sea along the boundary between the western Siberian floodplain and the central uplands, draining an area of about... 

The Angara-Yenisey river system simulation model... 

Errors given are 2 standard deviations. The sign < indicates less than the minimum detectable concentration, which is given at the 90% confidence level. Sample J7 was taken in the floodplain of the Yenisey River above the junction. The locations of the other samples are given in Table 6.17. 

In samples drawn from the Yenisey River at and upstream of the junction, levels of the neutron activation product60 Co (5.27-year half-life) and of the fission products 137Cs and 152Eu (13.3-year half-life) were much higher than background ranging... 

Computer experiments show that the input of radionuclear pollution to the Kara Sea from the Yenisey River is stable with a dispersion equal to 32%. The role of the AYRS ecosystem in transforming radionuclear pollution is disregarded because it is negligible (<3%). Vertical transport by organisms varies from 0.1% to 0.7%. Such calculations can be carried out for different scenarios. 

The joint U.S./Russian expedition to Siberia s Angara and Yenisey Rivers detected synthetic contaminants in water and sediment samples from industrial regions and wilderness areas. On-site analysis using sensitive instrumentation revealed radionuclides, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds. The results indicate that the nuclear production facility near Krasnoyarsk on the Yenisey River has introduced radioactive contamination far downstream and is a probable source of previously detected radioactivity in the Yenisey estuary at its outlet into the Kara Sea. 

Krapivin V.F. Cherepenin V.A. Nazaryan N.A. Phillips G.W. and Tsang F.Y. (1997). Simulation model of radionuclide transport in the Angara-Yenisey river system. Problems of the Environment and Natural Resources, 2, 41-58 [in Russian]. 

The Angara-Yenisey river system simulation model.. . . 388... 

Angara-Yenisey River System Simulation Model... 

FIGURE 6 Average daily courses of ecosystem CO2 exchange of (a) Siberian pristine pine forest and natural regeneration after fire, (b) regrowth after logging, and (c) a bog, all located near Zotino, Central Yenisey River, July 1996 (Schulze et al., 1999). 

Reprocessing plants and the nuclear industry in the former Soviet Union have discharged to the Ob and Yenisey river systems ending up in the Arctic ocean. In 1950-51 about 77 x 10 " m liquid waste of 100 PBq was discharged to the River Techa. The Techa River is connected to the River Ob as is the Tomsk River where the Tomsk-7, a major production site for nuclear weapons plutonium, is situated. Other nuclear plants, such as the Krasnoyarsk industrial complex, have discharged to the Yenisey river. Large amounts of radioactive waste are also stored at the sites. 

On the other hand, sediments from the Ob and Yenisey Rivers show the presence of weapons-grade Pu originating from nuclear fuel reprocessing. The data are distinctly different from those of northern-hemisphere stratospheric fallout (see references in Haque and Nakanishi 1999). 

The Yenisey River in Siberia passes north through the City of Krasnoyarsk. Two hydro dams on the Yenisey River each produce 6,000 MW which is primarily used in the electrolytic production of aluminum from imported bauxite ore. Such power source can also be used to make hydrogen and other electrochemical products. 

Construction of first phase transfers was set to begin by the late 1980s and to be completed around the turn of the century. Table 86.1 shows basic economic and environmental information related to first phase Siberian diversions. A second phase would raise Siberian diversions to 60 km /year. It would require supplementing the Ob with water from the Yenisey River lying to the east. Implementation of the second phase would require further research and design work and was not viewed as necessary until well into the 21st century. 

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