137Cs-to-40K ratio and wind resuspension factor monitoring in Greece during the last forty years

Abstract 137 Cs and 40 K concentrations in soil and air were measured since 1986. 137 Cs wind-resuspension factor was 7.4 ± 1.3 × 10 –6 m −1 after Chernobyl, while one decade later, it reduced to 1.5 ± 0.3 × 10 –9 m −1 , but for 40 K was constant 7.4 ± 1.3 × 10 –9 m −1 The air 137 Cs-to- 40 K ratio was 12:7 after the accident, dropping to 0.04 during 1995. The Fukushima accident gave 1.0, which is like a radiological event in Spain when it was 0.6. The Chernobyl wildfires recorded 0.18, while contaminated wood combustion for heating showed 0.15. The results indicate that forest ecosystems remain a source of unwanted radioactivity in the environment.