The ERICA Tool is a software system that has a structure based upon the tiered ERICA Integrated Approach to assessing the radiological risk to terrestrial, freshwater and marine biota. The Tool guides the user through the assessment process, recording information and decisions and allowing the necessary calculations to be performed to estimate risks to selected animals and plants.
HYDRA uses data files of ERICA Tool 1.3.1.33.
More on ERICA Assessment Tool website.
HYDRA is an alternative interface for ERICA tool's Tier 2 assessment with some limitations (see Readme on GitHub).
To calculate dose rates:
- Add organisms and isotopes to setup.
- Enter parameters:
- Specific activities of isotopes - Activity block. For each isotope activity concentration in water or in sediment must be set. HYDRA will calculate other values using ERICA's coefficients.
- Organisms occupancy factors - OCC block.
- Concentration ratios - CR block.
- Distribution coefficients - Kd block.
- Radiation weighting factors - WF block.
- Percentage dry weight for sediment - Dry weight block.
For missing data HYDRA will use ERICA's database values.
- Push Calculate button.
- Get results at the bottom of the page. Total dose rate for each organism and each isotope will be shown.