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HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING

Modelling the dispersion of radionuclides, pollutants, and cooling water in the aquatic environment

Radionuclide runoff models: The RETRACE-2 model

R. Heling. NRG Arnhem, department of Radiation and Environment

A.Popov, OINPE, GIS Laboratory, Obninsk, Russia

The RETRACE-2 model is:

A conceptual model to forecast water runoff and radionuclides wash-off from large watersheds, which can include an arbitrary number of lakes and a complex river net.

The RETRACE-2 model can be applied for:

• Wash-off modelling of agricultural pollutants and heavy metals
• Long-term (until years) prognoses of transfer of radionuclides and other pollutants in the catchment

RETRACE includes the following modules:

• Module to predict correlated daily weather parameters (weather generator model)
• Module to simulate full year water runoff formation including snow melting
• Module to simulate the erosion in watershed
• Module to simulate the pollutants behaviour including transformation in soil and vertical transport
• Databases containing a monthly averaged set of parameters, elevation data set for whole Europe and as set for the necessary radionuclide properties

RETRACE-2 software:

• consists of several independent modules that are controlled via single RETRACE Monitor interface;
• has a full set of necessary tools for customisation and operation;
• has a data input system with a spreadsheet - like interface;
• presents the model output in 2D graphics.

RETRACE-2 validation

RETRACE-2 has been tested on Chernobyl deposition on the River Ilya watershed (Ukraine) and on the River Rhine watershed (Germany and the Netherlands)

Further information:

Version 2: April 2001