Highest Degree
Ph.D on Chemistry Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1990)
Subject Area
Chemical Oceanography
Pollution
Activities
Laboratory of Aquatic and Marine Radioecology (CIEMAT) Madrid. Spain. The activities of this laboratory started in 1985 analysing transuranics in sediments from Spanish Continental Shelf, being assesored by the IAEA expert at this time Dr. David Jenning. Since this date the laboratory has been involved in several european radiation protection projects about the environmental behaviour of transuranics particularly its transfer from land to sea after the Palomares accident (where the transuranics from the nuclear weapons -transported by an aircraft of US-Air Force- were spread )and the mechanisms governing its behaviour and its transport in marine ecosystems. This lab has calculated the first spanish transuranics inventories in sediments from Mediterranean Spanish Continental Shelf and it has participated in several forum of discussion or of experts as: Marina-Med (Radiological Exposure of the European Community from Radioactivity in the Mediterranean Sea) , CRESP (Coordinated Research and Environmental Surveillance Programme on sea disposal of radioactive waste ) and CIESM (Marine Radioactivity group).At present, the laboratory is constituted by the project leader Dr.Catalina Gascó (catalina.gasco@ciemat.es) and 6 researchers and 15 technicians. The activities of this laboratory are directed to analyse the samples from different european projects on the field of aquatic radioecology where this team is involved: Enhanced of natural radioactivity in estuaries affected by discharges of Phosphogypsum Industries, Seasonal variation of 210Po and 210Pb and plutonium in different water masses crossing the Gibraltar Strait, Association of transuranics to different sediment components. Study of sedimentation of transuranics in extreme marine environments. Activitities:Determination of plutonium and americium in biotic and abiotic samples of the different components of the marine food chains ( marine sediments, sea-water column, algae, fish....). Determination of transuranics in environmental concentrations in air filters, tap-water, biological material, foods, soils. Secuential leaching of transuranics in sediments from different areas.Determination of 210Po and 210Pb in seawater, tap-water, sediments and soils. Participation of more than 20 IAEA Intercomparisons. Dating techniques by 210Pb. Methodology .Radiochemical treatment of the samples and alpha spectrometry. Other capabilities are supplied by different groups from CIEMAT or by other Institutions ( Spanish Institute of Oceanography)
. After 2002, CIEMAT decided not to dedicate effort to marine radioecology and this group was
dismissed.
Region of Study
Gibraltar Strait, Palomares Submarine Canyon (Almería-Spain), Spanish Mediterran
