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Antarctica — A potential international burial area for high-level radioactive wastes

Angino, Ernest E. / Dreschhoff, Gisela / Zeller, Edward J.

Summary A major problem facing modern society is the one of what do to with the non-recyclable portion of high-level radioactive wastes generated by modern nuclear reactors. Antarctica, because of its geographical isolation, deserves definite consideration as a potential international, permanent repository for the high-level radioactive wastes of the world’s nuclear countries. The continent is completely surrounded by the southern ocean — a large buffer zone. Another factor to be considered is the existence of the Antarctic Treaty, which designates the continent as international territory accessible to all nations; Treaty provisions provide for use for nuclear waste disposal, if desired. Bedded salt is an attractive medium for the disposal of nuclear waste. Salt beds, however, are not present in all countries which are producing or will produce nuclear wastes. If the temperature is maintained below 0°C, ice has several of the same desirable features as salt. Many of its physical properties are similar to those of salt. The interior of the ice cap of East Antarctica is now and appears likely to remain the region on earth most isolated from normal human contact and is essentially devoid of flora and fauna. Ice burial, therefore, appears to be a viable means of disposal. Possible burial in the exposed rock areas such as the Sor Rondane or the Oases areas of East Antarctica also deserves consideration. The action of ocean circulation associated with the Antarctic Convergence and Westwind Drift Current provides additional control over the permanent isolation of the wastes even in the unlikely event of leakage. The problem of waste isolation is a key one and the ice-bound southern continent provides an answer. In contrast to recent international efforts proposing the deep ocean areas as disposal sites, where leaking containers or accidents would cause the radioactive wastes to be dispersed forever, Antarctica offers a number of possibilities for the development of an alternative safe, ultimate disposal system for the world’s high-level nuclear wastes. If only solidified wastes are considered for ice-sheet burial, storage for $ 10^{4} $ or more years seems possible. Present engineering technology is adequate for emplacement of waste canisters under this concept.