Training Course on Marine Radioactivity
Over the past 50 years, natural and anthropogenic radionuclides have been instrumental in addressing many important questions in oceanographic research. Yet knowledge gaps remain regarding their spatial and depth distributions and the temporal evolution of many radionuclides of importance to both oceanographic and human health issues. In order to meet the need for students and researchers to have the knowledge and skills that enable them to successfully address issues associated with the field of marine radioactivity and radioecology, the SCOR Working Group 146 “Radioactivity in the Ocean, 5 Decades Later (RiO5)” has developed materials for the short term training of both junior and senior researchers. The first training workshop was hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science Xiamen University, China on June 8-10, 2016 (http://mel.xmu.edu.cn/conference/RIO5/index.asp). From the very positive feedback on the first training course, we see a high demand for additional training workshops that convene scientists and students to gain the fundamentals within the field. The purpose of this training course at the 2017 Goldschmidt conference is to train graduate students and young professionals who are interested in or will pursue radiochemistry research and management. The one day course will include lectures cover the following subjects: natural, anthropogenic, and cosmogenic radioisotopes in the marine environment; radioecology, tracer and dating techniques, other applications of radionuclides as ocean tracers, and a brief introduction on radioanalytical methods.