Technogenic Radioactivity of Waters in the Central Arctic Basin and Adjacent Water Areas

The contemporary radiation situation in the Arctic Basin and Russian Arctic seas is assessed on the basis of data from 2013 to 2017. Statistically significant differences are revealed in the mean volumetric activity of 137 Cs in the surface water layer. The tendency toward a west-to-east decrease in seawater pollution is noted. The maximum 137 Cs concentrations are characteristic of the Barents and Kara seas. The least polluted waters are reported in the Laptev and East Siberian seas, which are the most remote from the sources of technogenic radionuclides in Europe.