The question arose at the very beginning of the nuclear industry: What should be done with the waste? For 40 years, from 1950 to 1990, countries with nuclear technology addressed the issue by dumping barrels filled with waste into the ocean in international waters. Decades later, an interdisciplinary scientific mission was preparing to map some 200,000 barrels submerged in the Northeast Atlantic, roughly 600 kilometers off the coast of Nantes and more than 4,000 meters deep. Through two research expeditions at sea, the first of which will begin on June 15, scientists are also aiming to better understand the behavior of radionuclides and their effects on marine biodiversity.

This mission was led by the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in collaboration with the French national institute for ocean science and technology (Ifremer), the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) and other partners. It was born out of a meeting a few years ago between Patrick Chardon, a specialist in the effects of radioactivity on the environment (CNRS – Université Clermont Auvergne), and Javier Escartin, a marine geologist (Ecole normale supérieure – CNRS), at a time when technology now allows for exploration of the ocean floor.

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