The Future of Radioecology at AECL? Back to Basics

Abstract

In order to develop a research program in radioecology at AECL, I examined the history of radioecology in general and at AECL in particular. Radioecology has been preoccupied with providing parameters to industry and regulators and has lost sight of its link to ecology. High impact research at AECL has involved the novel use of radiotracers to quantify ecological processes, syntheses of radionuclide or contaminant bioaccumulation or partitioning, and studies of atmospheric or sediment transport. Ongoing research at AECL will focus on areas with potential for high impact in radioecology, while providing industry and regulators with useful models and parameters.