Detailed plan for the COMET WP3 initial research activity - list of research projects and goals, participants and timing
Astrid Liland, Catherine L. Barnett, Nick A. Beresford, Clare Bradshaw, Justin Chase Brown, Philippe Calmon, Juan Carlos Mora Candas, Izabela Chmielewka, C. Duffa, Laureline Février, Sergey P. Gaschak, Mikhail Iosjpe, Valery Kaspparov, Juhani Lahtinen, Bogusław Michalik, Kenji Nanbu, Iisa Outola, Almudena Real, B. Robles, Brit Salbu · NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) · 2013
According to the description of work (DoW) for the COMET project, the first deliverable in WP3 is a detailed plan for the COMET WP3 Initial Research Activity (IRA) in the form of a list of research projects and goals, participants and timing.The work should be performed during the first five months of the project.According to the DoW, the WP3 IRA should be performed focusing on improved parameterisation of key processes controlling the transfer of radionuclides, with a specific focus on dynamic modelling approaches.It is also guided by Challenge one of the Strategic Research Agenda of radioecology: "To Predict Human and Wildlife Exposure in a Robust Way by Quantifying Key Processes that Influence Radionuclide Transfers and Exposure" with its four associated research lines.Due to the EC requirement that the start date should be 1 June instead of the proposed 1 September, the initial exchange of ideas between the partners was done by email prior to the kickoff meeting 27-29 August 2013.During the kick-off meeting, the suggested research projects were reduced in number and grouped into six topics.These topics were subsequently discussed with our external Steering Committee at a meeting in October 2013.The topics and their objectives, in short, are the following:1. Marine modelling -improving predictions of concentrations in and exposures of marine biota and humans through sophisticated modelling, e.g.trophic transfer modelling and by combining transfer modelling with sediment modelling.2. Forest modelling -reducing the uncertainties in assessments of short and long term impacts of radioactive contamination in forested areas through model development and parameterization of key processes controlling the transfer of radionuclides.3. Human food chain modelling -improving human food chain modelling through regional customization of parameter values, using Bayesian methods and studying the long-term dynamics of soil-to-plant transfers for specific soil types and for long-lived radionuclides.4. NORM modelling -acquiring data necessary for the parameterization of key processes, and improving existing models or developing parametric models linking observed accumulation, mobility, and transfer with environmental parameters and processes.5. Particle behaviour -improving our ability to describe the processes of hot particle transformation in the environment and radionuclide leaching in various media.6. ICRP reference sites -providing the data to derive a taxonomically based model of radionuclide transfer for wildlife independent of site-specific factors.The topics are described in detail in chapter 2 and the associated resources allocated are given in chapter 3. The IRA will start in month 7 and last for 24 months.[COMET] 7/28 (D3.1) -Detailed plan for the COMET WP3 Initial Research Activity Dissemination level: PU Date of issue of this report: 31/10/2013