Influence of soil acidification in southern Norway on the 137Cs exposure of moose?

The mean 137Cs activity concentration in 278 liver samples of moose (Alces alces) from 16 municipalities located in different parts of Norway varied within the range 43–752 Bq kg−1 among the municipalities. In general the geographical variation corresponded to the fallout pattern produced by the Chernobyl accident. In three communities in the southernmost part of the country however the transfer factor, defined as the activity in moose liver divided by the corresponding level in surface soil, was 6.5 times higher on average than elsewhere in Norway. Possible reasons for this highly significant difference are discussed, and it is hypothesized that the apparently much higher plant uptake in the south may be related to extensive soil acidification in this area from transboundary pollution.