Atlas of caesium deposition on Europe after the Chernobyl accident

The European Commission and the Ministries responsible for Chernobyl Affairs in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine have carried out a collaborative programme of research on the consequences of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. This programme was implemented during the period 1992-95 under the auspices of a formal Agreement between the Commission and the relevant Ministries in the three countries. Financial support for the programme was provided through a separate budget approved by the European Parliament. Within this programme some 16 separate projects were implemented dealing with the health and environmental consequences of the accident, their long term management and with emergency management in general. The results of this programme have been published in 16 volumes and were presented at a major international conference held in March 1996 in Minsk. One of the projects was concerned with the preparation of a comprehensive Atlas of the deposition, over the whole territory of Europe, of radioactive material released during the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. Various compilations, of differing resolution and quality, of the deposition in particular countries or regions are available but, prior to this project, no attempt had been made to bring the many data together and develop a coherent and comprehensive picture of the deposition across the whole of Europe. The task in assembling and processing these data has been considerable and those involved with the project are to be commended for what has been achieved. Equally, the Atlas could not have been produced without the input of data from each of the European countries which experienced fallout from the accident; their essential contributions are acknowledged.