A Meeting on Radioecology of Arid Regions, linked to the IUR Task Group on Radioecology in arid regions, will be held in Rabat, Morocco, from 24 to 26 June 2019.
This joint meeting IUR/MODARIA II follows the previous meetings of the researchers involved in the IUR Task Group on the transfer of radionuclides in arid environments
- Athens, Greece - 6–7 April 2017 - Joint Interim Meeting of the IUR Task Group Radioecology in Arid Regions and MODARIA II Working Group IV subgroup 3 – Transfer Parameters in non-temperate Systems
- Madrid, Spain - 30 March-2April 2016 - Kick-off workshop
MODARIA program
The 2nd phase of the MODARIA program (Modelling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessment), MODARIA II being launched in 2016, continues developing and strengthening capabilities in radiological impact assessment to support Member States in this field in fulfilling the regulatory requirements of the IAEA Safety Standards.
Aims of the IUR TASK GROUP on Radioecology in arid regions
Its goal will be to address the risks associated in embracing nuclear technologies in light of the regional environmental peculiarities in those countries. A system to identify radioecologically sensitive regions under these special conditions needs to be established. This should be based on a number of components including a geographical database (GIS) of the terrestrial components and parameters; localized habitat, production and consumption, environmental co-factors such as climate; and the extent and type of radioactive pollution that could possibly affect the regions.
The ultimate aim is to create an EDSS (Environmental Decision Support System) for countries of arid and semi-arid regions, which will be able to integrate information in a spatial and temporal resolution to be combined with radioecological transfer models. This will allow the derivation of critical load maps and the identification of endangered ecosystems. In addition, it allows for the identification of critical pathways to protect the environment and humans from unexpectedly elevated and routine releases of radioactivity during the operation of a nuclear power plant, research reactor or any other nuclear installation in the medical or any other scientific field.
This project aims to build the foundation for a sound and robust EDSS:
- To compile/collate existing global and local radioecological/spatial/temporal data for arid/semi-arid climates into a comprehensive database.
- To identify gaps in the existing radioecological data and formulate methods to complete knowledge gaps
- To identify relevant and related experimental studies to be undertaken to fill in gaps identified via the results observed from objectives 1-3.
- To develop a preliminary/prototype radioecological model for arid climate (based on existing modelling software such as Ecolego™ for example).