Traces of nuclear explosions in the deepest pit of the ocean

A team of Chinese researchers has discovered that animal species living in the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean, have accumulated traces of carbon 14, a byproduct of atomic bomb explosions. , reports a statement from the American Geophysical Union (AGU, for its acronym in English) citing a study recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Under natural conditions, carbon 14, also called radiocarbon, is produced – in small and relatively constant amounts – as a result of the interaction of spatial radiation with atmospheric nitrogen. In the middle of the 20th century, a series of atomic tests doubled its concentration in the air. However, it was not expected that centuries later it would reach the bottom of the sea.

It did not take so long: the level of radiocarbon in the muscle tissue of amphipods (small crustaceans digging) collected two years ago at depths of up to 11,000 meters below the surface of the sea was much higher. high than in the surrounding environment.

"Although the ocean circulation takes hundreds of years to bring carbon-contaminated water from the pumps into the deepest pit, the food chain does it much faster," said the lead author. of the study, Ning Wang, quoted in the statement of the AGU. , Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"We need to pay more attention to our future behaviors," said Weidong Sun, colleague and co-author.

Source: RT News