Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 339–353, 2018 https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-339-2018 © Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Valery Kashparov1,3, Sviatoslav Levchuk1, Marina Zhurba1, Valentyn Protsak1, Yuri Khomutinin1, Nicholas A. Beresford2, and Jacqueline S. Chaplow2 1Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kiev region, 08162, Ukraine 2NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, CEH Lancaster, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Av., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK 3CERAD CoE Environmental Radioactivity, Department of Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Ås, Norway Correspondence: Jacqueline S. Chaplow (
[email protected]) Received: 11 July 2017 – Discussion started: 27 September 2017 Revised: 17 January 2018 – Accepted: 18 January 2018 – Published: 26 February 2018 Abstract. The dataset “Spatial datasets of radionuclide contamination in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone” was developed to enable data collected between May 1986 (immediately after Chernobyl) and 2014 by the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) after the Chernobyl accident to be made publicly available. The dataset includes results from comprehensive soil sampling across the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Analyses include radiocaesium (134Cs and 134Cs) 90Sr, 154Eu and soil property data; plutonium isotope activity concentrations in soil (including distribution in the soil profile); analyses of “hot” (or fuel) particles from the CEZ (data from Poland and across Europe are also included); and results of monitoring in the Ivankov district, a region adjacent to the exclusion zone.