Role of modelling in monitoring soil and food during different stages of a nuclear emergency

In case of a nuclear accident, adequate protection of the public and the environment requires timely assessment of the short- and long-term radiological exposure. Measurements of the radiation dose and the radioactive contamination in the environment are essential for the optimization of radiation protection and the decision making process. In the early phase, however, such measurements are rarely available or sufficient.To compensate for the lack of monitoring data during nuclear emergencies, especially in the early phase of the emergency, mathematical models are frequently used to assess the temporal and spatial distribution of radioactive contamination. During the transition and recovery phase, models are typically used to optimise remediation strategies by assessing the cost-effectiveness of different countermeasures. A prerequisite of course is that these models are fit for purpose. Different models may be needed during different phases of the accident. In this paper, we discuss the role of radioecological models during a nuclear emergency, and give an outlook on the scientific challenges which need to be addressed to further improve our predictions of human and wildlife exposure.