Post Chernobyl surveys of radiocaesium in soil, vegetation, wildlife and fungi in Great Britain

This dataset has been superseded by an updated version due to formatting requirements of the Data Journal Earth System Science Data (ESSD). Vegetation was clipped from 1 metre squared quadrats to a height of 1 centimetre above ground level. Samples were dried at 80 degrees centigrade, weighed, ground and counted in plastic containers (130 millilitre) on a NaI(T1) detector to determine the radiocaesium activity. The most active samples were recounted on a high resolution germanium detector. Soil type was noted at each site (Soil survey 1983). Soil samples were allocated to a series of textural categories (Clay (particles of less than 2 m in diameter); Silt (particles of 2-40 micron diameter); Sand (particles of 50 micron -2millimetre diameter); Organic (humified plant material); Loam (significant quantities of material from 3 or more categories). Soil pH was determined using an antimony electrode pH meter. Animal samples consisted of necks and rumen contents from 70 red deer (Cervus elaphus), whole bodies of three species of lagomorphs (25 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and 2 black hares (Lepus capensis), two species of grouse (13 red grouse (Lagopus lagopus), 4 black game (Tetrao tetrix), and 22 foxes (Vulpes vulpes) totalling 141 flesh and 94 gut samples. Samples of flesh were removed from the neck of the deer, from the legs and back of the hares, rabbits and foxes, and from the breast muscle of the grouse. These were weighed fresh and placed in standard counting containers which were kept in a deep freeze until required for analysis. Each sample was thawed for 24 hours prior to counting. Samples were analysed by high resolution gamma spectrometry using either hyperpure germanium or germanium lithium detectors with relative efficiencies of 20 to 25 percent. Counting times varied between 25k to 80k seconds. Detectors were calibrated. The column headings for Easting, Northing and Sampling_date' in dataset 4 are labelled incorrectly. The correct order should be column C Sampling_date, column D Easting, column E Northing.