Method for Using Measurements of the Contamination of Bottom Deposits to Estimate the Source of Radioactive Substances Flowing into a River

A method of estimating the strength of a stationary source of radioactive substances entering a river is proposed. The method is based on statistically reliable measurements of the concentration of radionuclides in bottom deposits. The stationary model of the transport of a radioactive impurity in a two-dimensionally uniform flow is used to determine a relation between the concentration of radionuclides in bottom deposits and the strength of the source. The model is based on the two-dimensional equation for turbulent diffusion and takes account of the interaction of radioactive substances between the water mass (solution, suspension) and bottom deposits.