International Conference on Isotopes and Environmental Studies: Aquatic Forum 2004, 25-29 October, Monaco: Volume 8 (Radioactivity in the Environment) - Tapa dura

The contents of the book are assembled from selected papers presented during the International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies – AQUATIC FORUM 2004 convened in Monaco from 25 to 29 October 2004, which was the most important gathering of the year of isotope environmental scientists. The book reviews the present state of the art isotopic methods for better understanding of key processes in the aquatic environment, responsible for its future development and its protection.

The main highlights include the latest developments in the study of the behaviour, transport and distribution of isotopes in the aquatic environment, recent climate change records using isotopic tracers in the environment, global isotopic oceanic studies, new trends in radioecological investigations and modelling, impact of groundwater-seawater interactions on coastal zones, groundwater dynamics and modelling, important for management of freshwater resources, development of new isotopic techniques, such as AMS, RIMS and ICPMS, and their applications in environmental studies, new trends in radiometrics underground techniques, new in situ radiometrics technologies and many other exciting topics which were presented and discussed during the Conference.

The proceedings constitute an important contribution to the environmental isotopic research. In publishing this book the aim is to make the use of isotopes more widespread in the environmental disciplines and to further stimulate work in this exciting field.

• Presents selected papers from the International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies - AQUATIC FORUM 2004
• Addresses state-of-the-art isotopic methods for better understanding of key processes in the aquatic environment
• Aims to make the use of isotopes more widespread in the environmental disciplines and to further stimulate work in this exciting field

Prof. Dr. Pavel P. Povinec is professor at the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia) where he spent most of his carrier, also as a vice-dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, as well as Head of the Department of Nuclear Physics. From 1993 to 2005 he led Radiometrics Laboratory of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco. He has been engaged in low radioactivity studies and development of low-level counting methods. The main topics included environmental radioactivity and radioecology, isotope hydrology and oceanography, but also investigations of rare nuclear processes and decays. He contributed to better understanding of radiocarbon variations in the atmosphere and biosphere. In high sensitivity radioactivity measurements his main contribution was in the development of underground facilities and in situ underwater gamma-spectrometry of radionuclides in the aquatic environment. He published over 250 papers in recognized scientific journals, having over 2500 citations. Recently he published 11 papers on the Fukushima radioactivity assessment, and edited a special issue of the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity on this topic. He has been often invited to give talks at international conferences on radionuclides as tracers of environmental processes, and acting as a member of international advisory scientific committees. He also spent several months as a visiting professor at foreign universities. He led several international projects on marine radioactivity. He also led the Bratislava group in many international projects in physics. He organized six international conferences, several seminars, workshops and training courses. He published four books and 12 monographs. He edited 12 conference proceedings, 11 special issues of scientific journals. He is editor, co-editor and board member of six scientific journals. His professional activities included international and national societies (Board of the European Physical Society, IUPAP and IUPAC committees, etc.). He received several foreign and national awards. He was a member of the IAEA team which won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.