A reactor accident on a nuclear submarine in Chazhma Bay (Peter the Great Bay (PGB), Japan Sea), occurred at 11:55 h local time on 10 August 1985 and caused radioactive contamination of sea water and air. The potential transport pathways of radioactive tracers on the sea surface and at different depths in the water during the month after the accident have been simulated based on the regional ocean modelling system (ROMS) with high resolution and Lagrangian analysis. The spread of radionuclides on the sea surface in the adjacent Ussuri Bay was strongly influenced by two typhoons, which mixed the polluted water in the bay and reduced the concentration of radionuclides in the fallen spot. The surface transport of tracers from the Chazhma and Strelok bays was also affected by multidirectional winds, whereas the dispersion of tracers in the deeper layers was influenced by eddies in PGB.
Keywords: Lagrangian analysis; Lagrangian coherent structures; Nuclear Chazhma Bay accident; ROMS simulation of radioactive pollution.
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