Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO BOX 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Emirates Nuclear Technology Center (ENTC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, PO BOX 127788, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Oct;31(49):58779-58794. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-35139-z. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
The development of the nuclear industry in the countries of the Arabian Gulf demands an investigation of its potential impact on the environment and human activities. It should involve routine monitoring of radionuclide from existing nuclear facilities as well as modelling of accidental release of radioactivity. Agriculture is usually considered the human activity which is the most endangered with radioactive pollution. Although the traditional concept of low-developed agriculture in the United Arab Emirates has been already described from a radioecological point of view, herein, the recent trends of agriculture are recorded. Due to climatic changes and population increase, the use of saline lands will be more pressing. Apart from it, the risk assessment for nuclear events, which was formed mainly for temperate zones, neglected another aspect of arid zones which is underground water reservoirs refilled with episodic heavy rains. The sandy or saline soils are not an effective barrier for the migration of radionuclide deposited in topsoil. A hypersaline environment could prevent the adsorption of radionuclide on soil particles and allow their high bioavailability for halophyte plants. The new principal challenges in radioecological research in arid zones are impacts on (i) saline agriculture, (ii) underground water reservoirs, and (iii) proposal for countermeasures in order to minimise the impact of radioactive contamination.
海湾阿拉伯国家的核工业发展需要调查其对环境和人类活动的潜在影响。这应该包括对现有核设施的放射性核素进行常规监测，以及对放射性物质意外释放进行建模。农业通常被认为是最容易受到放射性污染影响的人类活动。尽管已经从放射性生态学的角度描述了阿联酋传统的欠发达农业的概念，但这里记录了农业的最新趋势。由于气候变化和人口增长，利用盐渍地的需求将更加迫切。除此之外，主要为温带地区形成的核事件风险评估忽略了干旱地区的另一个方面，即间歇性暴雨补充的地下水库。沙质或盐渍土壤并不是阻止沉积在表土中的放射性核素迁移的有效屏障。高盐环境可以防止放射性核素在土壤颗粒上的吸附，并使它们对盐生植物具有很高的生物可利用性。干旱地区放射性生态学研究的新主要挑战是对 (i) 盐渍农业、(ii) 地下水库以及 (iii) 提出对策的影响，以尽量减少放射性污染的影响。
