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Kashparov V, Kirieiev S, Yoschenko V, Levchuk S, Holiaka D, Zhurba M, Bogdan L, Vyshnevskyi D, Oughton DH. Assessment of exposures to firefighters from wildfires in heavily contaminated areas of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2024; 274:107410. [PMID: 38457870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the exposures received by firefighters engaged in extinguishing the large-scale wildfires in the most contaminated areas of the Ukrainian part of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in 2016 and 2020. The assessments are based on measurements of radionuclide airborne concentrations in the breathing zones of workers and at the aerosol sampling stations of the automated radiation monitoring system operated by SSE Ecocenter. During the wildfires, the radionuclide airborne concentrations increased by orders of magnitude compared to the background levels, reaching maximum values in the firefighting area of 1.20 ± 0.01 Bq m-3 for 90Sr, 0.18 ± 0.01 Bq m-3 for 137Cs, (1.8 ± 0.3) ∙10-4 Bq m-3 for 238Pu, (4.5 ± 0.7) ∙10-4 Bq m-3 for 239-240Pu, and (8.0 ± 1.3) ∙10-3 Bq m-3 for 241Pu. The internal effective doses to firefighters due to inhaled radionuclides did not exceed 2 μSv h-1 and were 3-5 times lower compared to the external dose of gamma radiation. Thus, the time of firefighting in the ChEZ will be limited by the external dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Chabany, Kyiv region, Ukraine; Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Serhii Kirieiev
- Chornobyl Ecocentre, State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Chornobyl, Ukraine
| | - Vasyl Yoschenko
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan.
| | - Sviatoslav Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Chabany, Kyiv region, Ukraine
| | - Dmytrii Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Chabany, Kyiv region, Ukraine
| | - Marina Zhurba
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Chabany, Kyiv region, Ukraine
| | - Leonid Bogdan
- Chornobyl Ecocentre, State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Chornobyl, Ukraine
| | - Denys Vyshnevskyi
- Chornobyl Radiation Ecological Biosphere Reserve, Chornobyl, Ukraine
| | - Deborah H Oughton
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
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Yoschenko V, Thiry Y, Holiaka D, Levchuk S, Kashparov V, Nanba K. Long-term changes in 90Sr pools of Scots pine biomass in the Chornobyl Red Forest. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2024; 273:107366. [PMID: 38218043 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
The trenches of the waste burial site in the Chornobyl Red Forest represent a big reservoir of radionuclides for the artificial plantation of Scots pine established in that area, but the long term dynamics of tree biomass contamination, especially with 90Sr, remains unclear. The present study was conducted between 2005 and 2018 on two groups of trees of the same age. The IN group is represented by trees growing on the trench containing highly radioactive contaminated fertile soil and organic matter, while the OUT group is located outside the trench. Within a little more than one decade, the total aboveground biomass doubled in the trees of the group OUT and increased more than four times in the group IN. In the group OUT, the concentrations of 90Sr have decreased in all biomass compartments compared to 2005, while in the group IN, the concentrations demonstrated a trend to increase. Regression analysis shows that both decrease in the compartment concentrations in the group OUT (slope coefficient 0.55) and increase in the group IN (1.58) were significant. As a result of the changes in the biomass inventories and 90Sr concentrations, in absence of changes in plantation density, the contamination of total aboveground biomass by 90Sr in the group OUT would have increased slightly in 2018 (from approximately 18 GBq ha-1 to 23 GBq ha-1) compared to 2005, while in the group IN it would have increased almost 6-fold, reaching approximately 560 GBq ha-1, or about (19 ± 9) % of the total 90Sr inventory in the trench area. Trenches of the Red Forest were shown to act as long-lasting hot spots of 90Sr bioavailability for forest trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasyl Yoschenko
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Yves Thiry
- French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra) - Scientific and Technical Division, Chatenay-Malabry, 92298, France
| | - Dmytrii Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Sviatoslav Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Valery Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine; Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan
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Koarashi J, Atarashi-Andoh M, Nishimura S. Effect of soil organic matter on the fate of 137Cs vertical distribution in forest soils. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 262:115177. [PMID: 37354569 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the fate of the vertical distribution of radiocesium (137Cs) in Japanese forest soils is key to assessing the radioecological consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. The 137Cs behavior in mineral soil is known to be primarily governed by interaction with clay minerals; however, some observations suggest the role of soil organic matter (SOM) in enhancing the mobility of 137Cs. Here we hypothesized that soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration profile determines the ultimate vertical pattern of 137Cs distribution in Japanese forest soils. In testing this hypothesis, we obtained soil samples that were collected before the FDNPP accident at four forest sites with varying SOC concentration profiles and quantified the detailed vertical profile of 137Cs inventory in the soils roughly half a century after global fallout in the early 1960 s. Results showed that the higher the SOC concentration in the soil profile, the deeper the 137Cs downward penetration. On the basis of the data for surface soils (0-10 cm), the 137Cs retention ratio for each of the 2-cm thick layers was evaluated as the ratio of 137Cs inventory in the target soil layer to the total 137Cs inventory in and below the soil layer. A negative correlation was found between the ratio and SOC concentration of the layer across all soils and depths. This indicates that the ultimate fate of 137Cs vertical distribution can be predicted as a function of SOC concentration for Japanese forest soils, and provides further evidence for SOM effects on the mobility and bioavailability of 137Cs in soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Syusaku Nishimura
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan; Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1194, Japan
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4
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Holiaka D, Yoschenko V, Cherniaiev OR, Moskaliuk A, Lesnik O, Levchuk S, Holiaka M, Gumenuk V, Kovbasa Y, Borsuk O, Holik V, Nanba K, Kashparov V. Variability of activity concentrations and radial distributions of 137Cs and 90Sr in trunk wood of Scots pine and Silver birch. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 263:107186. [PMID: 37087959 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This study analyzes the variability of 137Cs and 90Sr concentrations in wood and their radial distributions in the trunks of Scots pine and Silver birch trees in the small uniformly contaminated forest stands in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Concentrations of both radionuclides follow a lognormal distribution with a large scatter of values measured in the trees within the stands (GSD ranges from 1.6 to 2.0). No correlation was found between the concentrations of the two radionuclides measured in individual trees, or between their concentrations and tree diameter. The average 137Cs and 90Sr Tag were 8.4 × 10-4 m2 kg-1 and 8.8 × 10-3 m2 kg-1 for pine, respectively, and 9.3 × 10-4 m2 kg-1 and 1.1 × 10-2 m2 kg-1 for birch, indicating a much higher availability of 90Sr for uptake by the studied species. For 137Cs, the Tag values are within the range recommended by the IAEA Handbook (IAEA, 2010), while the values for 90Sr exceed the recommended range for birch and are close to its upper value for pine. The highest concentrations of 137Cs in pine at the height of 1.3 m were measured in the youngest sapwood rings; they were lower in the rest of the sapwood and decreased further in the heartwood, but remained relatively high even in annual rings that were the heartwood at the time of deposition, suggesting sapwood-to-heartwood translocation of the radionuclide by diffusion and/or ray transport. In contrast, 90Sr concentrations increased through the sapwood from the trunk periphery in pine trees up to 80 years old and remained stable through the sapwood in older trees (except for higher concentrations in the young annual rings), but dropped to zero in physiologically inactive heartwood tissues. In most birch trees, regardless of age, 137Cs concentrations demonstrated an increasing trend from the trunk periphery towards the pith, while concentrations of 90Sr were relatively stable in the whole trunk except in the oldest annual rings, where they increased sharply, likely indicating active transport of the radionuclide to senescing tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine.
| | - V Yoschenko
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - O R Cherniaiev
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - A Moskaliuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - O Lesnik
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - S Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - M Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - V Gumenuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Y Kovbasa
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - O Borsuk
- Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, Tolochina str. 28, Ivankiv, Kyiv region, 07201, Ukraine
| | - V Holik
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - K Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - V Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
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Le Coz M, Pannecoucke L, Saintenoy A, de Fouquet C, Freulon X, Cazala C. Do transient hydrological processes explain the variability of strontium-90 activity in groundwater downstream of a radioactive trench near Chernobyl? JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 259-260:107101. [PMID: 36638726 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Chernobyl Pilot Site (CPS) was created in 2000 in order to study radionuclide migration processes to the geosphere from radioactive material of the Red forest buried in a trench. In this article, the data collected in the CPS up to 2015 are analyzed to identify the links between hydrological conditions and release of strontium-90 (90Sr) from the trench. Then, a flow-and-transport model is used for simulating distribution of 90Sr both in the unsaturated and saturated zones downstream of the trench. The results show that the 90Sr activity in groundwater is strongly transient in time, due to the high inter-annual variability of both the recharge rate and the groundwater level (some particularly wet winters resulted in saturation of the bottom part of the trench). In addition, the parameters that govern the sorption of 90Sr in trench material appear to vary significantly in space (the retardation factor ranges from 10 to 50 depending on the location). This spatiotemporal variability could hide some critical processes, e.g., related to a long-term trend, and needs to be characterized through an appropriate sampling frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Le Coz
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 92260, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Léa Pannecoucke
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 92260, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; MINES ParisTech, PSL University, Centre for Geosciences and Geoengineering, 77300, Fontainebleau, France
| | | | - Chantal de Fouquet
- MINES ParisTech, PSL University, Centre for Geosciences and Geoengineering, 77300, Fontainebleau, France
| | - Xavier Freulon
- MINES ParisTech, PSL University, Centre for Geosciences and Geoengineering, 77300, Fontainebleau, France
| | - Charlotte Cazala
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SEDRE, 92260, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
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6
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Masson O, Romanenko O, Saunier O, Kirieiev S, Protsak V, Laptev G, Voitsekhovych O, Durand V, Coppin F, Steinhauser G, de Vismes Ott A, Renaud P, Didier D, Boulet B, Morin M, Hýža M, Camps J, Belyaeva O, Dalheimer A, Eleftheriadis K, Gascó-Leonarte C, Ioannidou A, Isajenko K, Karhunen T, Kastlander J, Katzlberger C, Kierepko R, Knetsch GJ, Kónyi JK, Mietelski JW, Mirsch M, Møller B, Nikolić JK, Povinec PP, Rusconi R, Samsonov V, Sýkora I, Simion E, Steinmann P, Stoulos S, Suarez-Navarro JA, Wershofen H, Zapata-García D, Zorko B. Europe-Wide Atmospheric Radionuclide Dispersion by Unprecedented Wildfires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, April 2020. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:13834-13848. [PMID: 34585576 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
From early April 2020, wildfires raged in the highly contaminated areas around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP), Ukraine. For about 4 weeks, the fires spread around and into the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) and came within a few kilometers of both the CNPP and radioactive waste storage facilities. Wildfires occurred on several occasions throughout the month of April. They were extinguished, but weather conditions and the spread of fires by airborne embers and smoldering fires led to new fires starting at different locations of the CEZ. The forest fires were only completely under control at the beginning of May, thanks to the tireless and incessant work of the firefighters and a period of sustained precipitation. In total, 0.7-1.2 TBq 137Cs were released into the atmosphere. Smoke plumes partly spread south and west and contributed to the detection of airborne 137Cs over the Ukrainian territory and as far away as Western Europe. The increase in airborne 137Cs ranged from several hundred μBq·m-3 in northern Ukraine to trace levels of a few μBq·m-3 or even within the usual background level in other European countries. Dispersion modeling determined the plume arrival time and was helpful in the assessment of the possible increase in airborne 137Cs concentrations in Europe. Detections of airborne 90Sr (emission estimate 345-612 GBq) and Pu (up to 75 GBq, mostly 241Pu) were reported from the CEZ. Americium-241 represented only 1.4% of the total source term corresponding to the studied anthropogenic radionuclides but would have contributed up to 80% of the inhalation dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Masson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | | | - Olivier Saunier
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Serhii Kirieiev
- State Specialized Enterprise Ecocentre (SSE ECOCENTRE), Chornobyl, Kiev region 07270, Ukraine
| | - Valentin Protsak
- Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute (UHMI), Kyiv 03028, Ukraine
| | - Gennady Laptev
- Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute (UHMI), Kyiv 03028, Ukraine
| | | | - Vanessa Durand
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Frédéric Coppin
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Georg Steinhauser
- Institute of Radioecology and Radiation Protection, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover 30419, Germany
| | - Anne de Vismes Ott
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Philippe Renaud
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Damien Didier
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Béatrice Boulet
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Maxime Morin
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Fontenay-Aux-Roses 92260, France
| | - Miroslav Hýža
- National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO), Prague 4 140 00, Czech Republic
| | - Johan Camps
- StudieCentrum voor Kernenergie - Centre d'Etude de l'Energie Nucléaire (SCK-CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
| | - Olga Belyaeva
- Department of Radioecology, Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies (NAS RA), Yerevan 0025, Armenia
| | | | - Konstantinos Eleftheriadis
- Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens 15310, Greece
| | - Catalina Gascó-Leonarte
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Unidad de Radioactividad Ambiental y Vigilancia Radiológica, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Alexandra Ioannidou
- Nuclear Physics and Elementary Particle Physics Division, Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
| | - Krzysztof Isajenko
- Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection (CLRP), Warsaw, PL 03-194, Poland
| | - Tero Karhunen
- Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), PL 14, Helsinki 00881, Finland
| | | | - Christian Katzlberger
- Department of Radiation Protection and Technical Quality Assurance, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna 1220, Austria
| | - Renata Kierepko
- The Henryk Nievodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ), Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków 31-342,Poland
| | - Gert-Jan Knetsch
- National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, Bilthoven, BA NL-3720, The Netherlands
| | - Júlia Kövendiné Kónyi
- Department of Radiobiology and Radiohygiene (NNK SSFO), National Public Health Center, Budapest H-1221, Hungary
| | - Jerzy Wojciech Mietelski
- The Henryk Nievodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics (IFJ), Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków 31-342,Poland
| | | | - Bredo Møller
- Emergency Preparedness and Response, Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), Svanvik NO-9925, Norway
| | - Jelena Krneta Nikolić
- Department of Radiation and Environmental Protection, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade 11351, Serbia
| | - Pavel Peter Povinec
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Comenius University, Bratislava 842 48, Slovakia
| | - Rosella Rusconi
- Centro Regionale Radioprotezione, Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione dell'Ambiente della Lombardia (ARPA Lombardia), 20124 Milan, Italy
| | - Vladimir Samsonov
- National Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control, and Environmental Monitoring (BELHYDROMET), Minsk, 220114, Belarus
| | - Ivan Sýkora
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Comenius University, Bratislava 842 48, Slovakia
| | - Elena Simion
- National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), National Reference Laboratory, Bucharest 060031, Romania
| | - Philipp Steinmann
- Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH - OFSP), Environmental Radioactivity Section, Liebefeld CH-3097, Switzerland
| | - Stylianos Stoulos
- Nuclear Physics and Elementary Particle Physics Division, Physics Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece
| | - José Antonio Suarez-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Unidad de Radioactividad Ambiental y Vigilancia Radiológica, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - Herbert Wershofen
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig 38116, Germany
| | | | - Benjamin Zorko
- Institut "Jozef Stefan" (IJS), Ljubljana SI-100, Slovenia
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Vanhoudt N, Van Gompel A, Vives I Batlle J. Distribution and behaviour of naturally occurring radionuclides within a Scots pine forest grown on a CaF 2 waste deposit related to the Belgian phosphate industry. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 233:106591. [PMID: 33798812 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The distribution and behaviour of naturally occurring radionuclides within a vegetated part of a CaF2 sludge heap from the Belgian phosphate industry was studied. A Scots pine forest plot was selected as study area. Trees were approximately 20 years old and showed a disturbed health state. Seasonal sampling campaigns of soil, roots, wood, inner and outer bark, needles and twigs gave insight on 238U, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po transfer and distribution between pine tree compartments. Soil samples were analysed for their texture, total organic and inorganic carbon, field capacity, pH and radionuclide content. Solid-liquid distribution coefficients (Kd) were experimentally determined for 238U, 226Ra (using Ba as analogue) and 210Pb based on adsorption-desorption batch tests. Results indicated higher 238U, 232Th, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po activity concentrations in the deeper soil layers while the first 20 cm contained less radionuclides but had a higher level of organic carbon. Additionally, results indicated no seasonal changes in the 238U:226Ra ratio in the soil while the 226Ra:210Pb ratio was significantly higher in spring compared to winter in the 20-60 cm soil layer. Pine tree roots served as natural translocation barrier for all radionuclides with high retention in the roots and low translocation to the above ground tree compartments. When considering the above ground compartments, 210Pb and 210Po were mostly present in the bark, needles and twigs. Furthermore, 238U and its progeny were highly accumulated in mosses. These results allowed us to establish more realistic soil-to-plant transfer factors. In addition, experimentally mimicking pore water acidification in the root zone resulted in lower 238U and 210Pb Kd values compared to using a standard CaCl2 solution. This study provides an integrated radioecological picture of knowledge and site specific data needed to study the long-term influence of vegetation on radionuclide dispersion in forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Vanhoudt
- Biosphere Impact Studies, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
| | - Axel Van Gompel
- Biosphere Impact Studies, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Jordi Vives I Batlle
- Biosphere Impact Studies, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
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8
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Roulier M, Bueno M, Coppin F, Nicolas M, Thiry Y, Rigal F, Pannier F, Le Hécho I. Atmospheric iodine, selenium and caesium depositions in France: II. Influence of forest canopies. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 273:128952. [PMID: 33228989 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Estimation of the canopy influence on atmospheric inputs of iodine (I), selenium (Se) and caesium (Cs) in terrestrial ecosystems is an essential condition for appropriate biogeochemical models. However, the processes involved in rain composition modifications after its passage through forest canopy have been barely studied for these elements. We monitored I, Se and Cs concentrations in both rainfall and throughfall of fourteen French forested sites throughout one year, and estimated dry deposition and canopy exchange fluxes for these elements, as well as speciation of I and Se. Comparison of rainfall and throughfall elemental composition highlighted an important impact of forest canopy on both (i) concentrations and fluxes of I, Se and Cs, and (ii) I and Se species. For the three elements, most of their throughfall concentrations were higher than corresponding rainfall. The increase of throughfall elemental fluxes was mostly due to dry deposition for I and Se although the canopy exchange model revealed some sorption within the canopy in most cases; for Cs, foliage leaching was most influencing. Regarding speciation, iodine species in rainfall were highly modified by forest canopy with an important increase of unidentified I proportion in throughfall (on average 49 and 82% in rainfall and throughfall, respectively), possibly due to washoff of dry deposition and/or to transformation into organic forms. Similarly, while rainfall was composed of 26-54% of inorganic Se, inorganic species were undetectable in throughfall. This dataset represents key information to improve modelling of I, Se and Cs cycling within forest ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Roulier
- CNRS/Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour/E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000, Pau, France; Institute of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LR2T, CE Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul les Durance Cedex, France.
| | - Maïté Bueno
- CNRS/Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour/E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000, Pau, France.
| | - Frédéric Coppin
- Institute of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LR2T, CE Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul les Durance Cedex, France.
| | - Manuel Nicolas
- Office National des Forêts (ONF), Direction Forêts et Risques Naturels, Département Recherche, Développement, Innovation, Boulevard de Constance, 77300, Fontainebleau, France.
| | - Yves Thiry
- Andra, Research and Development Division, Parc de la Croix Blanche, 1-7 Rue Jean Monnet, 92298, Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France.
| | - François Rigal
- CNRS/Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour/E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000, Pau, France; Azorean Biodiversity Group, cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal.
| | - Florence Pannier
- CNRS/Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour/E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000, Pau, France.
| | - Isabelle Le Hécho
- CNRS/Univ. Pau & Pays de l'Adour/E2S UPPA, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour l'Environnement et les Matériaux, UMR 5254, Avenue du Président Angot, 64000, Pau, France.
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9
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Imamura N, Watanabe M, Manaka T. Estimation of the rate of 137Cs root uptake into stemwood of Japanese cedar using an isotopic approach. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142478. [PMID: 33045609 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is the main timber species in Japan. The prediction of the temporal changes in the 137Cs concentration in the stemwood of Japanese cedar after the Fukushima nuclear accident is essential for optimizing forest management in contaminated areas. However, it is difficult to estimate the respective contributions of root and foliar uptake to 137Cs accumulation in stemwood from simple field measurements, especially in trees that contain the residue of initially-deposited 137Cs. In this study, we devised a method for estimating the rate of 137Cs root uptake into stemwood using the 133Cs content in stemwood and the 137Cs/133Cs ratio in the exchangeable fraction of soil. As a trial, the method was applied to a cedar stand in Fukushima Prefecture, using available monitoring data from prior studies over 5 years from August 2011 to August 2016. The mean annual rate of 137Cs root uptake into stemwood over this period was estimated as 53 ± 20 Bq m-2 yr-1. We note that our method likely provided a maximum estimate, because it is based on the assumptions that 133Cs in wood is exclusively supplied by root uptake, and that Cs isotopes are taken up by roots in the top 5 cm of mineral soil. Moreover, the mean annual increase of the 137Cs inventory in stemwood during the study period was measured as 108 Bq m-2 yr-1, although this value was associated with considerable uncertainty (95% confidence interval from -109 to 324 Bq m-2 yr-1). As a result, the maximum estimated rate of 137Cs root uptake into stemwood accounted for around half of the measured rate of 137Cs accumulation in stemwood. Our results show that the Cs isotopic approach has potential to distinguish the main pathway of stemwood contamination (i.e., root vs. foliar uptake) following radioactive fallout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naohiro Imamura
- Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan
| | - Mirai Watanabe
- Center for Regional Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Takuya Manaka
- Department of Forest Soils, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan
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10
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Labunska I, Levchuk S, Kashparov V, Holiaka D, Yoschenko L, Santillo D, Johnston P. Current radiological situation in areas of Ukraine contaminated by the Chornobyl accident: Part 2. Strontium-90 transfer to culinary grains and forest woods from soils of Ivankiv district. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106282. [PMID: 33395933 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Some of the highest 90Sr activity concentrations recorded beyond the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone occur in the Ivankiv district of Ukraine, located approximately 50 km south of the power plant, an area which nonetheless remains important for agricultural production. Although characterized by soils with low exchangeable calcium values, which can enhance the bioavailability of certain radionuclides, information on the transfer of 90Sr to food crops and trees in the region has remained limited to date. Analysis of 116 grain samples (wheat, rye, oat, barley or Triticale) collected from fields in 13 settlements in the region between 2011 and 2019 revealed 90Sr and 137Cs activity concentrations above Ukrainian limits in almost half of those samples, with annual averages exceeding this limit in four of those nine years (most recently in 2018) and with no clear evidence for a declining trend over time. Analysis of paired sandy soil samples from the same fields yielded concentration ratios for transfer of 90Sr from soils to grains that were on average 3 times higher than that specified by the IAEA. In addition, three quarters of wood samples collected from the trunks of trees (primarily pines) from 12 locations in the same district between 2015 and 2019 contained 90Sr activity concentrations in excess of the Ukrainian limits for firewood (60 Bq/kg), with levels more than four times that limit at one location and again no evidence for decline over time. A single sample of ash collected from a domestic wood-burning oven in the district contained 90Sr at a level 25 times higher than in the most contaminated wood sample collected in this study. Overall these results reveal additional facets of the ongoing legacy of Chornobyl contamination within the Ivankiv district, and the diversity of pathways by which local residents may be exposed to radionuclides. They also highlight the dangers associated with the current lack of routine and comprehensive environmental and food monitoring programs within the region, especially at a time in which the use of locally-sourced wood for biomass energy generation is set to expand markedly.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Labunska
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Innovation Centre Phase 2, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - S Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str.7, Chabany, Kyiv Region 08162, Ukraine
| | - V Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str.7, Chabany, Kyiv Region 08162, Ukraine; CERAD CoE Environmental Radioactivity/Department of Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway
| | - D Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str.7, Chabany, Kyiv Region 08162, Ukraine
| | - L Yoschenko
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR) of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str.7, Chabany, Kyiv Region 08162, Ukraine
| | - D Santillo
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Innovation Centre Phase 2, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - P Johnston
- Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Innovation Centre Phase 2, Rennes Drive, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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11
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Gonze MA, Calmon P, Hurtevent P, Coppin F. Meta-analysis of radiocesium contamination data in Japanese cedar and cypress forests over the period 2011-2017. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 750:142311. [PMID: 33182179 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Since Fukushima accident, dozens of field studies have been conducted in order to quantify and understand the behaviour of atmospheric radiocesium (137Cs) fallouts in contaminated forests of Fukushima and neighbouring prefectures. In this paper, we carry out a detailed review of data acquired over 2011-2017 in Japanese cedar and cypress plantations, focusing on aerial tree organs, soil layers and tree-to-soil depuration fluxes. To enable comparison and reinforce the consistency between sites, radiological measurements were normalized by the deposit and interpolated onto the same spatio-temporal frame. Despite some (poorly explained) residual variability, we derived a "mean" pattern by log-averaging data among sites. These "mean" results were analysed with the help of a simple mass-balance approach and discussed in the light of post-Fukushima literature. We demonstrated that the activity levels and dynamics in all compartments were consistent and generally well reproduced by the mass balance approach, for values of the interception fraction between 0.7 and 0.85. The analysis indicated that about 5% of the initial deposit remained in the aerial vegetation after 6 years, more than two thirds of intercepted 137Cs being transferred to the soil due to throughfall. The simulations indicated that foliar uptake might have contributed between 40% and 100% to the activity transferred to stem wood. The activity concentration in canopy organs rapidly decreased in the first few months then more slowly, according to an effective half-life of about 1.6 years. The activity level in the organic layer peaked in summer 2011 then decreased according to an effective half-life of 2.2 years. After a rapid increase in 2011, the contamination of mineral horizons continued to increase more slowly, 85% of 137Cs incoming through the organic layer being retained in the 0-5 cm layer according to a mean residence time longer than in the upper layer (7 against 1.5 years).
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Affiliation(s)
- M-A Gonze
- Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, CE Cadarache-Bat 153, BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France.
| | - P Calmon
- Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, CE Cadarache-Bat 153, BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France
| | - P Hurtevent
- Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, CE Cadarache-Bat 153, BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France
| | - F Coppin
- Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, CE Cadarache-Bat 153, BP3, 13115 St-Paul-lez-Durance cedex, France
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12
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Kashparov V, Salbu B, Simonucci C, Levchuk S, Reinoso-Maset E, Lind OC, Maloshtan I, Protsak V, Courbet C, Nguyen H. Validation of a fuel particle dissolution model with samples from the Red Forest within the Chernobyl exclusion zone. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 223-224:106387. [PMID: 32868094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The contamination in the near exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) with 90Sr, 238-240Pu and 241Am is associated with irradiated nuclear fuel particles. Fit for purpose models enabling long term prediction of mobility and bioavailability of particle-associated radionuclides are crucial for radiation protection of humans and the environment, as well as for planning of remediation measures and future land use. In the present work, a dynamic fuel particle dissolution model developed in 1999-2002 is described and validated using data based on sampling in 2015. The model is based on the characterization of the radionuclide source term of the waste in a shallow sub-surface radioactive waste storage, trench #22, in the Chernobyl Pilot Site (CPS) located in the Red Forest, 2.5 km west of the ChNPP, as well as the description of physical and chemical properties of the fuel particles and subsequent radionuclide leaching into the soil solution. Transformation rate constants of the fuel particle dissolution model related to topsoil, radioactive waste trench and submerged materials, and drained cooling pond sediments, should largely control the mobility and bioavailability of radionuclides (e.g., solubility in the soil, migration to groundwater and transfer to plants). The predicting power of the Chernobyl fuel particle dissolution model with respect to radionuclide leaching dynamics was validated using samples from the same experimental site, showing that predicted particle leaching and subsequent mobility and bioavailability were within 46 ± 3% of the observed data. Therefore, linking source- and release-scenario dependent characteristics of radioactive particles to their potential weathering can provide information that can be implemented in impact assessments models for existing contaminated areas as well as for future events.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Kashparov
- National University of Life and Environment Sciences (NUBiP of Ukraine), Ukraine; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD CoE), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway.
| | - B Salbu
- National University of Life and Environment Sciences (NUBiP of Ukraine), Ukraine; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD CoE), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - C Simonucci
- IRSN, PSE-ENV/SIRSE/LER-NORD, POB 17, F-92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
| | - S Levchuk
- National University of Life and Environment Sciences (NUBiP of Ukraine), Ukraine
| | - E Reinoso-Maset
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD CoE), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - O C Lind
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD CoE), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - I Maloshtan
- National University of Life and Environment Sciences (NUBiP of Ukraine), Ukraine
| | - V Protsak
- National University of Life and Environment Sciences (NUBiP of Ukraine), Ukraine
| | - C Courbet
- INTERA, 1 Rue des Vergers, Bât. 3, F-69760, Limonest, France
| | - H Nguyen
- BURGEAP, 143 avenue de Verdun, F-92442, Issy-les-Moulineaux Cedex, France
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13
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Holiaka D, Fesenko S, Kashparov V, Protsak V, Levchuk S, Holiaka M. Effects of radiation on radial growth of Scots pine in areas highly affected by the Chernobyl accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 222:106320. [PMID: 32892896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The effects of radiation on radial growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) affected by the Chernobyl accident were studied at five sites with different deposition levels. The study sites were chosen along a high gradient of depositions at the distance of a few hundred meters in the forests with similar forest characteristics. Air dose rates varied at the sites from the background values up to 30 μGy h-1 as of December 1, 2016. Scots pine trees exposed to sub-lethal doses of 8.6-13.2 Gy at the "Red Forest" site did not demonstrate deviations in formation of annual rings 30 years after the Chernobyl accident compared to trees with lower doses and control trees. Variation with time in annual rings thickness did reveal that the effect of radiation in trees growing at the sites with different contamination not detectable in 1986 and 1987. Conversely, the effects were clear observed in a later period in 1989-1991, i.e. 3-5 years after the accident. Until 2000, there were statistically significant differences in the annual rings growth rates of Scots pine trees exposed to external absorbed dose rates of 4.4-6.7 mGy h-1 as estimated for June 1, 1986 (or 19.5-30.0 μGy h-1 as of December 1, 2016) compared with the trees of the other sites studied. The results comply with the conclusions from research with acute pine exposure conducted in the Kyshtym area in 1975-1984.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - S Fesenko
- Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Obninsk, Russian Federation
| | - V Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine; CERAD CoE Environmental Radioactivity Department of Environmental Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 Aas, Norway
| | - V Protsak
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - S Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - M Holiaka
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
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14
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Igarashi Y, Onda Y, Wakiyama Y, Konoplev A, Zheleznyak M, Lisovyi H, Laptev G, Damiyanovich V, Samoilov D, Nanba K, Kirieiev S. Impact of wildfire on 137Cs and 90Sr wash-off in heavily contaminated forests in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 259:113764. [PMID: 32040987 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Wildfires may play a role in redistributing radionuclides in the environment in combination with hydrological processes such as surface runoff and soil erosion. We investigated plot-scale radionuclide wash-off at forest sites affected by wildfires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). We also compared speciation of the washed-off radionuclides with those in previous studies conducted just after the accident in 1986. We observed the surface runoff and the radionuclide wash-off with a soil erosion plot at forest and post-fire sites during May-September 2018. In the post-fire site, 2.81 mm of surface runoff was observed in at least three flow events resulting from 285.8 mm total rainfall. The fluxes of dissolved and particulate 137Cs were estimated as 4.9 and 161 Bq m-2, respectively. The dissolved phase 90Sr flux was estimated as 214 Bq m-2. At the forest site, a single surface runoff (0.67 mm) event was generated by rainfall of 182.2 mm. The fluxes of dissolved and particulate 137Cs wash-off values were 6.2 and 8.6 Bq m-2, respectively. The flux of dissolved 90Sr wash-off from the forest was estimated as 45.1 Bq m-2. The distribution coefficient, which indicates the dissolved-particulate form of radionuclides, in the post-fire site was 30 times higher than that in the forest site, indicating the importance of particulate 137Cs wash-off after fire in the CEZ. The entrainment coefficients for dissolved and particulate 137Cs concentrations were around 50 times lower than those obtained in the corresponding position within the CEZ immediately after the accident in 1987. The effect of downward migration of 137Cs over 30 years led to decreased entrainment coefficients for dissolved and particulate 137Cs. The effect of downward migration of radionuclides was considered sufficient to indicate changes in normalized liquid and solid radionuclides wash-off entrainment coefficient and the distribution coefficient in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasunori Igarashi
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yuichi Onda
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
| | - Yoshifumi Wakiyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Alexei Konoplev
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Mark Zheleznyak
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Hlib Lisovyi
- Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, Kiev, 03028, Ukraine
| | - Gennady Laptev
- Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, Kiev, 03028, Ukraine
| | - Volodyill Damiyanovich
- Chernobyl Ecocentre, State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Chernobyl, 07270, Ukraine
| | - Dmitry Samoilov
- Chernobyl Ecocentre, State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Chernobyl, 07270, Ukraine
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 960-1296, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Serhii Kirieiev
- Chernobyl Ecocentre, State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, Chernobyl, 07270, Ukraine
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15
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Thiry Y, Tanaka T, Dvornik AA, Dvornik AM. TRIPS 2.0: Toward more comprehensive modeling of radiocaesium cycling in forest. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 214-215:106171. [PMID: 32063289 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Because internal transfers can play a key role in radiocaesium persistence in trees, a reliable representation of radiocaesium recycling between tree organs in forest models is important for long-term simulations after radioactive fallout in Chernobyl and Fukushima. We developed an upgraded 2.0 version of the initial TRIPS ("Transfer of Radionuclides In Perennial vegetation System") model involving explicit differentiation between tree organs (i.e., foliage, branches, stemwood and bark). The quality of TRIPS 2.0 was evaluated by testing model outputs against independent datasets for pine stands in Belarus and Ukraine. Scenarios involving "hot particle" deposits in forest remained challenging, but in all other scenarios generally positive verification results for soil and tree compartments indicated that the TRIPS 2.0 model adequately combines the major relevant processes. Interestingly, the response of stemwood contamination to changes in radiocaesium availability in soil, as determined by soil conditions, was shown to be more sensitive than for other tree compartments. We recommend the conceptual tree discretization of TRIPS 2.0 for generic forest modeling for two reasons: 1) regardless of different soil conditions, there was concurrent good agreement between simulations and data for individual tree compartments (foliage, branches, stemwood and bark), and 2) the measurements necessary to estimate internal tree transfers are easily accessible to usual field monitoring in forest biogeochemistry (for details, see Goor, F. & Thiry, Y., 2004. Science of the total environment, 325(1-3), 163-180).
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Thiry
- French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra) - Research and Development Division, 92298, Chatenay-Malabry, France.
| | - T Tanaka
- EDF R&D, LNHE, 6 Quai Watier, 78400, Chatou, France.
| | - A A Dvornik
- Institute of Radiobiology of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 4, Fedjuninskogo Str., 246007, Gomel, Belarus.
| | - A M Dvornik
- Gomel State University, Sovetskaya St.104, 246019, Gomel, Belarus.
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16
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Kashparova E, Levchuk S, Morozova V, Kashparov V. A dose rate causes no fluctuating asymmetry indexes changes in silver birch (Betula pendula (L.) Roth.) leaves and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 211:105731. [PMID: 29880300 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of the fluctuating asymmetry based on measurement of the parameters of left and right parts of silver birch (Betula pendula (L.) Roth.) leaves and relative sizes of pairs of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) was carried out. Twelve samples of both birch leaves and pairs of needles were collected from 10 trees at 5 sites in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and also at one control site located outside the ChEZ. Values of gamma dose rate in the air varied between the sites from 0.1 to 40 μGy h-1. Activity concentrations of 90Sr and 137Cs in the birch leaves varied over the range of 0.9÷2460 kBq kg-1 and 0.1÷339 kBq·kg-1 (DW), respectively. In addition to the above, in the Scots pine needles, these ranges were 0.7 ÷1970 kBq kg-1f for 90Sr and 0.1÷78 kBq kg-1 (DW) for 137Cs. From the values of the radionuclides activity concentrations in the plants, the internal dose rate is estimated to be in the range of 0.1 ÷ 274 μGy h-1. The main sources of the internal dose rate were radiation of 90Sr and 90Y. Indices of fluctuating asymmetry of silver birch leaves and Scots pine needles varied over the range of 0.048 ± 0.007 ÷ 0.060 ± 0.009 and 0.014 ± 0.002 ÷ 0.018 ± 0.002, respectively, and did not statistically differ for all experimental sites. The indices also did not depend on the external or internal dose rate of ionizing radiation for plants. The above findings seem to be consistent with other research effort in terms of understanding the response of organisms to chronic pollutant exposure and the long-term effects of large scale nuclear accidents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kashparova
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Sviatoslav Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Valeriia Morozova
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine.
| | - Valery Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Mashinobudivnykiv str. 7, Chabany, Kyiv region, 08162, Ukraine
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Kashparov V, Salbu B, Levchuk S, Protsak V, Maloshtan I, Simonucci C, Courbet C, Nguyen HL, Sanzharova N, Zabrotsky V. Environmental behaviour of radioactive particles from chernobyl. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 208-209:106025. [PMID: 31419762 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Long-term environmental behaviour of radioactive particles released during the Chernobyl accident and deposited in sandy topsoil in Ivankiv district of Kyiv Region (Ukraine), in radioactive trench waste materials from the Red forest, and in bottom sediments from the Cooling pond has been assessed. The efficiency of the models describing the dissolution/weathering rates of U fuel particles developed 15-20 years ago was tested, and their predictions for the dynamics of remobilization, mobility and plants uptake of 90Sr were confirmed. It was found that at present in the topsoil and in radioactive trench waste material, total dissolution of fuel particles of low chemical stability (UO2+x) has occurred and about half of the non-oxidized chemically stable fuel particles (UO2) has also dissolved, indicating radiological stabilization of the environment and that the mobile fraction of radionuclides would be reduced in the future. The biological availability of 90Sr in topsoil due to fuel particles dissolution has reached maximum values and further decrease is expected. The presence of chemically extra-stable fuel particles (U-Zry-Ox) in environments should be taken into account when the total radionuclides activity concentrations are assessed during radioactive materials management. It was shown that nearly half of the 90Sr activity remained as part of the non-dissolved UO2 fuel particles at the time of the study. Taking into consideration that 31 ± 4% of the radionuclide activities were still associated with non-dissolved chemically extra-stable particles (U-Zry-Ox) in radioactive trench waste materials from the Red forest, increased dissolution should not be expected in the near future. The physico-chemical form of radionuclides in air exposed sediments from the Cooling pond were determined, and results showed that about 70-80% of total 90Sr, 241Am and plutonium isotopes activity were associated with U fuel particles. The low dissolution rate of radionuclides from the pond sediments is attributed to prolonged slightly alkaline pH in the medium due to zebra mussel residues. According to new data, the emission value of 238Pu associated with fuel particles released during the Chernobyl accident amounted to 1.8 × 1013Bq (1.2% of the activity in the reactor) and 90Sr amounted to 2.6 × 1015Bq (1.5% of the activity in the reactor).
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerii Kashparov
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR), National University of Environment and Life Sciences of Ukraine, 7, Mashinobudivnykiv str., Chabany, 08162, Ukraine; Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Brit Salbu
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Sviatoslav Levchuk
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR), National University of Environment and Life Sciences of Ukraine, 7, Mashinobudivnykiv str., Chabany, 08162, Ukraine.
| | - Valentyn Protsak
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR), National University of Environment and Life Sciences of Ukraine, 7, Mashinobudivnykiv str., Chabany, 08162, Ukraine
| | - Igor Maloshtan
- Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology (UIAR), National University of Environment and Life Sciences of Ukraine, 7, Mashinobudivnykiv str., Chabany, 08162, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Huong Lien Nguyen
- IRSN, PSE-ENV/SIRSE/LER-N, POB 17, F-92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Natalia Sanzharova
- All-Russian Institute for Radiology and Agro-Ecology, 249032, Obninsk, Russian Federation
| | - Vladislav Zabrotsky
- Polessie State Radiation-Ecological Reserve, 7, Tereshkova str., 247618, Khoiniki, Belarus
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18
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Abstract
The earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 led to a meltdown followed by a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima–Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, causing the dispersal of abundant radionuclides into the atmosphere and ocean. The radionuclides were deposited onto trees and local residences in aerosol or gaseous forms that were partly absorbed by rain or melting snow. Here, we show that the radionuclides attached to the surfaces of trees, in which some radiocesium was incorporated into the xylem through ray cells and through symplastic pathways. The level of incorporated radiocesium varied based on tree species and age because of the ability of radiocesium to attach to the surface of the outer bark. After four years, the radiocesium level in the forest has been decreasing as it is washed out with rainwater into the sea and as it decays over time due to its half-life, but it can also be continuously recycled through leaf tissue, litter, mulch, and soil. As a result, the level of radiocesium was relatively increased in the heartwood and roots of trees at four years after the event. In private forest fields, most trees were left as afforested trees without being used for timber, although some trees were cut down. We discuss an interdisciplinary field study on the immediate effects of high radiation levels upon afforested trees in private forest fields.
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Burger A, Lichtscheidl I. Strontium in the environment: Review about reactions of plants towards stable and radioactive strontium isotopes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 653:1458-1512. [PMID: 30759584 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Radiostrontium is released to the environment from routine and accidental discharge and acts on living organisms either from external sources or after absorption. When incorporated by plants, it enters the food chain and causes primary threat to human health and the environment. Understanding the mechanisms of plants for strontium uptake and retention is therefore essential for decision making concerning agriculture: are uptake rates low enough so that plants can serve as food? Or is radiostrontium accumulated so that plants should not be eaten but could be probably used for extracting strontium from water and soil in hot spots of pollution? The review presents a summary of studies about the origin of stable and radioactive strontium in the environment and effects coming from both internal and external exposure of plants. Mobility and availability of strontium to plant roots in soil are controlled by external factors such as chemical composition of the soil and pH, temperature and agricultural soil cultivation as well as soil biological networks built by microbial communities. Plant surfaces may receive input of strontium from deposition induced by atmospheric pollution or by acquisition from water through the whole immersed surface. Cells have entry mechanisms for strontium such as plasma membrane transporters for calcium and potassium. Part of absorbed strontium can be lost via processes discussed in this review. We give examples on strontium transfer factors for 149 plants to estimate plant absorption capacity for strontium from soil, water and air. Uptake efficiency of terrestrial and aquatic plants is deciding about their remediation potential to either remove radiostrontium by accumulation and rhizofiltration or to retain it in roots or aerial parts. Data of strontium content in soils after fallout and edible plants from long-term monitoring support the evaluation of the potential hazards posed by strontium input to the food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Burger
- University of Vienna, Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Irene Lichtscheidl
- University of Vienna, Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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20
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Low 137Cs retention capability of organic layers in Japanese forest ecosystems affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06435-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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21
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Tsvetnova O, Shcheglov A, Klyashtorin A. 137Cs and K annual fluxes in a cropland and forest ecosystems twenty-four years after the Chernobyl accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 195:79-89. [PMID: 30296689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Biological cycles of the Chernobyl originated cesium-137 (137Cs, radiocesium) and the natural potassium (K) in oak, birch, and pine forest, and wheat cropland in Russian Federation, approximately 500 km northeast of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, were subject to a multiyear monitoring. By 2010, the annual return of 137Cs from forest vegetation to the soil in dead tree components still exceeds its annual accumulation in the tree phytomass by a factor of 4-6, apparently due to residual surface contamination in the external bark and the ongoing process of tree stand decontamination following the initial fallout. In the cropland, both ascending and descending fluxes of 137Cs are close to the steady state. The annual accumulation of 137Cs in the tree biomass was the highest in the oak forest and the lowest in the pine forest. The annual K accumulation was the highest in the cropland and the lowest in the pine forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ol'ga Tsvetnova
- Moscow Lomonosov State University, Soil Science Department, Moscow, Russia, 119991.
| | - Alexey Shcheglov
- Moscow Lomonosov State University, Soil Science Department, Moscow, Russia, 119991.
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22
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Thiry Y, Albrecht A, Tanaka T. Development and assessment of a simple ecological model (TRIPS) for forests contaminated by radiocesium fallout. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 190-191:149-159. [PMID: 29793757 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The management of vast forested zones contaminated by radiocesium (rCs) following the Chernobyl and Fukushima fallout is of great social and economic concern in affected areas and requires appropriate dynamic models as predictive or questioning tools. Generally, the existing radio-ecological models need less fragmented data and more ecological realism in their quantitative description of the rCs cycling processes. The model TRIPS ("Transfer of Radionuclide In Perennial vegetation Systems") developed in this study privileged an integrated approach which makes the best use of mass balance studies and available explicit experimental data for Scots pine stands. A main challenge was the differentiation and calibration of foliar absorption as well as root uptake in order to well represent the rCs biocycling. The general dynamics of rCs partitioning was simulated with a relatively good precision against an independent series of observed values. In our scenario the rCs biological cycling enters a steady-state about 15 years after the atmospheric deposits. At that time, the simulations showed an equivalent contribution of foliage and root uptake to the tree contamination. But the root uptake seems not sufficient to compensate the activity decline in the tree. The initial foliar uptake and subsequent internal transfers were confirmed to have a great possible impact on the phasing of tree contamination. An extra finding concerns the roots system acting as a buffer in the early period. The TRIPS model is particularly useful in cases where site-specific integrated datasets are available, but it could also be used with adequate caution to generic sites. This development paves the way for simplification or integration of new modules, as well as for a larger number of other applications for the Chernobyl or Fukushima forests once the appropriate data become available. According to the sensitivity analysis that involves in particular reliable estimates of net foliar uptake as well as root uptake not disconnected from rCs exchange reactions in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Thiry
- Andra, Research and Development Division, 1-7 rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France.
| | - Achim Albrecht
- Andra, Research and Development Division, 1-7 rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry cedex, France
| | - Taku Tanaka
- EDF R&D, LNHE, 6 quai Watier, 78400 Chatou, France
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23
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Yoschenko V, Takase T, Hinton TG, Nanba K, Onda Y, Konoplev A, Goto A, Yokoyama A, Keitoku K. Radioactive and stable cesium isotope distributions and dynamics in Japanese cedar forests. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 186:34-44. [PMID: 29029765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Dynamics of the Fukushima-derived radiocesium and distribution of the natural stable isotope 133Cs in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) forest ecosystems were studied during 2014-2016. For the experimental site in Yamakiya, Fukushima Prefecture, we present the redistribution of radiocesium among ecosystem compartments during the entire observation period, while the results obtained at another two experimental site were used to demonstrate similarity of the main trends in the Japanese forest ecosystems. Our observations at the Yamakiya site revealed significant redistribution of radiocesium between the ecosystem compartments during 2014-2016. During this same period radionuclide inventories in the aboveground tree biomass were relatively stable, however, radiocesium in forest litter decreased from 20 ± 11% of the total deposition in 2014 to 4.6 ± 2.7% in 2016. Radiocesium in the soil profile accumulated in the 5-cm topsoil layers. In 2016, more than 80% of the total radionuclide deposition in the ecosystem resided in the 5-cm topsoil layer. The radiocesium distribution between the aboveground biomass compartments at Yamakiya during 2014-2016 was gradually approaching a quasi-equilibrium distribution with stable cesium. Strong correlations of radioactive and stable cesium isotope concentrations in all compartments of the ecosystem have not been reached yet. However, in some compartments the correlation is already strong. An increase of radiocesium concentrations in young foliage in 2016, compared to 2015, and an increase in 2015-2016 of the 137Cs/133Cs concentration ratio in the biomass compartments with strong correlations indicate an increase in root uptake of radiocesium from the soil profile. Mass balance of the radionuclide inventories, and accounting for radiocesium fluxes in litterfall, throughfall and stemflow, enabled a rough estimate of the annual radiocesium root uptake flux as 2 ± 1% of the total inventory in the ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasyl Yoschenko
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Tsugiko Takase
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Thomas G Hinton
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Yuichi Onda
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Alexei Konoplev
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Azusa Goto
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Aya Yokoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Koji Keitoku
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
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24
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Diener A, Hartmann P, Urso L, Vives I Batlle J, Gonze MA, Calmon P, Steiner M. Approaches to modelling radioactive contaminations in forests - Overview and guidance. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 178-179:203-211. [PMID: 28892730 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests is important in case of contamination due to acute or chronic releases to the atmosphere and from underground waste repositories. This article describes the most important aspects to consider in forest model development. It intends to give an overview of the modelling approaches available and to provide guidance on how to address the quantification of radionuclide transport in forests. Furthermore, the most important gaps in modelling the radionuclide cycle in forests are discussed and suggestions are presented to address the variability of forest sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Diener
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany.
| | - P Hartmann
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - L Urso
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | | | - M A Gonze
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), France
| | - P Calmon
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), France
| | - M Steiner
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), Ingolstaedter Landstr. 1, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany
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25
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Transfer factors of 137Cs, 90Sr and 40K from soil to pine needles on Jeju Island, Korea. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-017-5486-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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26
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Falciglia PP, Romano S, Vagliasindi FGA. Application of a γRS index-based method and techno-economic analysis for in situ treatment of 137Cs-contaminated soils by cement-barite based stabilisation/solidification. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2017; 197:619-630. [PMID: 28432887 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper examines the application of cement (C)-barite (Ba) based-Stabilisation/Solidification (S/S) for the remediation of 137Cs-contaminated soils, investigating the influence of soil: grout and C: Ba ratios on the shielding performance of the S/S mix assessed as gamma radiation shielding (γRS) index variation. Results from experiments were used to perform a novel approach and an economic analysis in order to calculate the effective dose reduction achievable by S/S and to assess the optimum quantities and costs of selected mixes, respectively. Gamma ray spectrometer measurements indicate that γRS index increases with increasing barite percentage up to a maximum level of 50%; however a further increase results in a worsening of the shielding performances. A maximum γRS variation of 46.5% was recorded with grout percentage increasing from 16.6 to 50%. At the photon energy of 662 keV (137Cs), the maximum grout amount results in the possibility to shield up to 24.1% of γ-rays emitted. The effective dose reduction achievable by the investigated S/S allows a maximum 137Cs-soil contamination in the range 2.94-14.55 kBq kg-1 successfully treatable employing a soil: grout ratio of 1: 1 (C: Ba = 1:1). Technical data, jointly with economic analysis findings, make cement-barite based-S/S very competitive in cost-effectiveness and could provide a basis for decision-making of 137Cs-contaminated site remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro P Falciglia
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; Laboratori Nazionali del Sud - INFN, Via S. Sofia, 62, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Stefano Romano
- Laboratori Nazionali del Sud - INFN, Via S. Sofia, 62, 95125 Catania, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Federico G A Vagliasindi
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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27
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Falciglia PP, Romano S, Vagliasindi FGA. Stabilisation/solidification of 137Cs-contaminated soils using novel high-density grouts: γ-ray shielding properties, contaminant immobilisation and a γRS index-based approach for in situ applicability. CHEMOSPHERE 2017; 168:1257-1266. [PMID: 27810238 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.10.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In this work, γ-ray shielding and Cs immobilisation performances of high-density magnetite (MG) and iron powder (IP) in Portland cement (PC) based-S/S treatment were investigated. Experimental results were elaborated using a γ-radiation shielding (γRS) index-based approach for assessing the effectiveness of in situ S/S of 137Cs-contaminated soils. Main results reveal that the replacement of PC by MG or IP (up to 50%) leads to a marked increase (up to about 4-fold) in the γ-ray shielding performance, whereas a further material addition decreases the S/S shielding performance. The highest γRS index of ∼26% (662 keV) was found in the case of IP addition (33.3%). The use of MG-mixes allows reaching slightly slower γRS index jointly with the highest Cs-immobilisation of 97.8%. In this case, calculation shows a maximum 137Cs-contamination level successfully treatable by in situ S/S up to ∼2.9 or ∼14.5 kBq kg-1 for the realistic or low probability scenario, respectively, highlighting the possibility to remediate a very wide range of real contamination. Findings show MG - PC S/S as the best choice and could provide a basis for decision-making of S/S remediation of 137Cs-contaminated sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro P Falciglia
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy; Laboratori Nazionali del Sud - INFN, Via S. Sofia, 62, 95125 Catania, Italy.
| | - Stefano Romano
- Laboratori Nazionali del Sud - INFN, Via S. Sofia, 62, 95125 Catania, Italy; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Federico G A Vagliasindi
- Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria, 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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28
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Yoschenko V, Takase T, Konoplev A, Nanba K, Onda Y, Kivva S, Zheleznyak M, Sato N, Keitoku K. Radiocesium distribution and fluxes in the typical Cryptomeria japonica forest at the late stage after the accident at Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 166:45-55. [PMID: 26948679 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima-derived radiocesium distribution in the typical Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) forest ecosystem was determined. In four years after the Fukushima accident, about 74% of the total radiocesium inventory was localized in soil, 20% was in the litter, and only 6% was associated with the aboveground biomass. Most of the radiocesium that was initially intercepted by the tree canopies has been already transported to the ground surface. The importance of the processes for removal of radiocesium from the tree canopies decreased in the order litterfall > throughfall >> stemflow. Within the tree compartments, the largest radiocesium activity fraction, about 46%, was observed in old foliage, which indicates that the process of removal of the initial deposit from the tree crowns has not yet completed. The aggregate soil-to-wood transfer factor was 1.1⋅10-3 m2 kg-1 d.w., which is close to the geometric means of transfer factors recommended by IAEA for other coniferous tree species. Further studies in Fukushima forest are necessary to assess the variation of this parameter under various soil-landscape conditions. Presence of the residues of the initial deposits does not allow to obtain the accurate values of the annual radiocesium fluxes in the ecosystem. Based on the conservative assumptions, the ranges of the fluxes were estimated. Analysis of the flux structures shows that up to percents of the total radiocesium activity in the ecosystem may be involved into biogenic cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasyl Yoschenko
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Tsugiko Takase
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Alexei Konoplev
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Kenji Nanba
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Yuichi Onda
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, 305-8572 Japan
| | - Sergiy Kivva
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Mark Zheleznyak
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Natsumi Sato
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
| | - Koji Keitoku
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity of Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-1296, Japan
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29
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Koarashi J, Atarashi-Andoh M, Matsunaga T, Sanada Y. Forest type effects on the retention of radiocesium in organic layers of forest ecosystems affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident. Sci Rep 2016; 6:38591. [PMID: 27974832 PMCID: PMC5156898 DOI: 10.1038/srep38591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster caused serious radiocesium (137Cs) contamination of forest ecosystems over a wide area. Forest-floor organic layers play a key role in controlling the overall bioavailability of 137Cs in forest ecosystems; however, there is still an insufficient understanding of how forest types influence the retention capability of 137Cs in organic layers in Japanese forest ecosystems. Here we conducted plot-scale investigations on the retention of 137Cs in organic layers at two contrasting forest sites in Fukushima. In a deciduous broad-leaved forest, approximately 80% of the deposited 137Cs migrated to mineral soil located below the organic layers within two years after the accident, with an ecological half-life of approximately one year. Conversely, in an evergreen coniferous forest, more than half of the deposited 137Cs remained in the organic layers, with an ecological half-life of 2.1 years. The observed retention behavior can be well explained by the tree phenology and accumulation of 137Cs associated with litter materials with different degrees of degradation in the organic layers. Spatial and temporal patterns of gamma-ray dose rates depended on the retention capability. Our results demonstrate that enhanced radiation risks last longer in evergreen coniferous forests than in deciduous broad-leaved forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Takeshi Matsunaga
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Yukihisa Sanada
- Fukushima Environmental Safety Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan
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Koarashi J, Nishimura S, Nakanishi T, Atarashi-Andoh M, Takeuchi E, Muto K. Post-deposition early-phase migration and retention behavior of radiocesium in a litter-mineral soil system in a Japanese deciduous forest affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident. CHEMOSPHERE 2016; 165:335-341. [PMID: 27664523 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The fate of radiocesium (137Cs) derived from the Fukushima nuclear accident and associated radiation risks are largely dependent on its migration and retention behavior in the litter-soil system of Japanese forest ecosystems. However, this behavior has not been well quantified. We established field lysimeters in a Japanese deciduous broad-leaved forest soon after the Fukushima nuclear accident to continuously monitor the downward transfer of 137Cs at three depths: the litter-mineral soil boundary and depths of 5 cm and 10 cm in the mineral soil. Observations were conducted at two sites within the forest from May 2011 to May 2015. Results revealed similar temporal and depth-wise variations in 137Cs downward fluxes for both sites. The 137Cs downward fluxes generally decreased year by year at all depths, indicating that 137Cs was rapidly leached from the forest-floor litter layer and was then immobilized in the upper (0-5 cm) mineral soil layer through its interaction with clay minerals. The 137Cs fluxes also showed seasonal variation, which was in accordance with variations in the throughfall and soil temperature at the sites. There was no detectable 137Cs flux at a depth of 10 cm in the mineral soil in the third and fourth years after the accident. The decreased inventory of mobile (or bioavailable) 137Cs observed during early stages after deposition indicates that the litter-soil system in the Japanese deciduous forest provides only a temporary source for 137Cs recycling in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
| | - Syusaku Nishimura
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakanishi
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fukushima 970-8026, Japan
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Erina Takeuchi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Kotomi Muto
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
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Suchara I, Sucharová J, Holá M, Pilátová H, Rulík P. Long-term retention of (137)Cs in three forest soil types with different soil properties. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 158-159:102-113. [PMID: 27085039 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Current (137)Cs activity concentrations were studied at three localities in individual soil horizons of Stagnosol, Arenic Podzol and Haplic Cambisol soil units in soil blocks with dimensions of 20 × 20 × 40 cm situated below pine canopies (n = 3) and spruce canopies (n = 3), and below small canopy gaps, at least 15 × 15 m in area (n = 3 + 3), which have probably endured since 1986. The main zone of (137)Cs accumulation in all the localities was found to be in the organic horizons (H and F). No significant transport and accumulation of (137)Cs into illuvial soil horizons (Bm, Bs or Bhs, Bv and Bv/IIC) was found. The estimated current total (137)Cs activity concentrations in the soil blocks 40 cm in depth were only slightly higher below the coniferous canopy than they were below nearby canopy gaps. The inventory of (137)Cs in the soils was found to be in accordance with the estimated (137)Cs inputs from the Chernobyl fallout and from global fallout. The low amounts of (137)Cs found accumulated in the aboveground biomass (mosses, grasses, needles) did not substantially bias the studied radiocaesium balance in the soils. The vertical migration rate of (137)Cs in soils (cm/year) had a tendency to be higher below canopies than below canopy gaps and below pine canopies than below spruce canopies. We expected the current (137)Cs activity concentrations in the individual soil horizons to be related to the studied soil parameters: pH (H2O), pH (CaCl2), content of organic matter and mineral portion and portion of humic and fulvic acid contents (Q4/6). However, this was not confirmed. Similarly, we observed a weak tendency toward higher (137)Cs activity in soils below the canopy than in soils below canopy gaps. The available gaps used in our study may have been too small, and they may have been affected by an accumulation of litter and humus containing (137)Cs from the surrounding plots situated below neighbouring canopies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Suchara
- Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic.
| | - Julie Sucharová
- Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic.
| | - Marie Holá
- Silva Tarouca Research Institute for Landscape and Ornamental Gardening, Květnové náměstí 391, CZ-252 43 Průhonice, Czech Republic.
| | - Helena Pilátová
- National Radiation Protection Institute, Bartoškova 28, CZ-140 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic.
| | - Petr Rulík
- National Radiation Protection Institute, Bartoškova 28, CZ-140 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic.
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Ota M, Nagai H, Koarashi J. Modeling dynamics of (137)Cs in forest surface environments: Application to a contaminated forest site near Fukushima and assessment of potential impacts of soil organic matter interactions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 551-552:590-604. [PMID: 26897402 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.02.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2015] [Revised: 02/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A process-based model for (137)Cs transfer in forest surface environments was developed to assess the dynamic behavior of Fukushima-derived (137)Cs in a Japanese forest. The model simulation successfully reproduced the observed data from 3year migration of (137)Cs in the organic and mineral soil layers at a contaminated forest near Fukushima. The migration of (137)Cs from the organic layer to the mineral soil was explained by the direct deposition pattern on the forest floor and the turnover of litter materials in the organic layer under certain ecological conditions. Long-term predictions indicated that more than 90% of the deposited (137)Cs would remain within the top 5cm of the soil for up to 30years after the accident, suggesting that the forest acts as an effective long-term reservoir of (137)Cs with limited transfer via the groundwater pathway. The model was also used to explore the potential impacts of soil organic matter (SOM) interactions on the mobility and bioavailability of (137)Cs in the soil-plant system. The simulation results for hypothetical organic soils with modified parameters of (137)Cs turnover revealed that the SOM-induced reduction of (137)Cs adsorption elevates the fraction of dissolved (137)Cs in the soil solution, thereby increasing the soil-to-plant transfer of (137)Cs without substantially altering the fractional distribution of (137)Cs in the soil. Slower fixation of (137)Cs on the flayed edge site of clay minerals and enhanced mobilization of the clay-fixed (137)Cs in organic-rich soils also appeared to elevate the soil-to-plant transfer of (137)Cs by increasing the fraction of the soil-adsorbed (exchangeable) (137)Cs. A substantial proportion (approximate 30%-60%) of (137)Cs in these organic-rich soils was transferred to layers deeper than 5cm decades later. These results suggested that SOM influences the behavior of (137)Cs in forests over a prolonged period through alterations of adsorption and fixation in the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masakazu Ota
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
| | - Haruyasu Nagai
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Jun Koarashi
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
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Gielen S, i Batlle JV, Vincke C, Van Hees M, Vandenhove H. Concentrations and distributions of Al, Ca, Cl, K, Mg and Mn in a Scots pine forest in Belgium. Ecol Modell 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2015.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Nishikiori T, Watanabe M, Koshikawa MK, Takamatsu T, Ishii Y, Ito S, Takenaka A, Watanabe K, Hayashi S. Uptake and translocation of radiocesium in cedar leaves following the Fukushima nuclear accident. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2015; 502:611-616. [PMID: 25302448 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.09.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 09/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Cryptomeria japonica trees in the area surrounding Fukushima, Japan, intercepted (137)Cs present in atmospheric deposits soon after the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. To study the uptake and translocation of (137)Cs in C. japonica leaves, we analyzed activity concentrations of (137)Cs and the concentration ratios of (137)Cs to (133)Cs ((137)Cs/(133)Cs) in old and new leaves of C. japonica collected from a forest on Mount Tsukuba between 9 and 15 months after the accident. Both isotopes were also analyzed in throughfall, bulk precipitation and soil extracts. Water of atmospheric and soil origin were used as proxies for deciphering the absorption from leaf surfaces and root systems, respectively. Results indicate that 20-40% of foliar (137)Cs existed inside the leaf, while 60-80% adhered to the leaf surface. The (137)Cs/(133)Cs ratios inside leaves that had sprouted before the accident were considerably higher than that of the soil extract and lower than that of throughfall and bulk precipitation. Additionally, more than 80% of (137)Cs in throughfall and bulk precipitation was present in the dissolved form, which is available for foliar uptake, indicating that a portion of the (137)Cs inside old leaves was presumably absorbed from the leaf surface. New leaves that sprouted after the accident had similar (137)Cs/(133)Cs ratios to that of the old leaves, suggesting that internal (137)Cs was translocated from old to new leaves. For 17 species of woody plants other than C. japonica, new leaves that sprouted after the accident also contained (137)Cs, and their (137)Cs/(133)Cs ratios were equal to or higher than that of the soil extract. These results suggested that foliar uptake and further translocation of (137)Cs is an important vector of contamination in various tree species during or just after radioactive fallout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiro Nishikiori
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Mirai Watanabe
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Masami K Koshikawa
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Takejiro Takamatsu
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Yumiko Ishii
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Shoko Ito
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Akio Takenaka
- Center for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem Studies, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Keiji Watanabe
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan; Center for Environmental Science in Saitama, 914 Kamitanadare, Kazo, Saitama 347-0115, Japan
| | - Seiji Hayashi
- Center for Regional Environment Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
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Koarashi J, Atarashi-Andoh M, Takeuchi E, Nishimura S. Topographic heterogeneity effect on the accumulation of Fukushima-derived radiocesium on forest floor driven by biologically mediated processes. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6853. [PMID: 25358420 PMCID: PMC4215300 DOI: 10.1038/srep06853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant caused serious radiocesium (137Cs) contamination of forest ecosystems located in mountainous and hilly regions with steep terrain. To understand topographic effects on the redistribution and accumulation of 137Cs on forest floor, we investigated the distribution of Fukushima-derived 137Cs in forest-floor litter layers on a steep hillslope in a Japanese deciduous forest in August 2013 (29 months after the accident). Both leaf-litter materials and litter-associated 137Cs were accumulated in large amounts at the bottom of the hillslope. At the bottom, a significant fraction (65%) of the 137Cs inventory was observed to be associated with newly shed and less degraded leaf-litter materials, with estimated mean ages of 0.5–1.5 years, added via litterfall after the accident. Newly emerged leaves were contaminated with Fukushima-derived 137Cs in May 2011 (two months after the accident) and 137Cs concentration in them decreased with time. However, the concentrations were still two orders of magnitude higher than the pre-accident level in 2013 and 2014. These observations are the first to show that 137Cs redistribution on a forested hillslope is strongly controlled by biologically mediated processes and continues to supply 137Cs to the bottom via litterfall at a reduced rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Erina Takeuchi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Syusaku Nishimura
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
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Loffredo N, Onda Y, Kawamori A, Kato H. Modeling of leachable 137Cs in throughfall and stemflow for Japanese forest canopies after Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 493:701-707. [PMID: 24995637 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/14/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima accident dispersed significant amounts of radioactive cesium (Cs) in the landscape. Our research investigated, from June 2011 to November 2013, the mobility of leachable Cs in forests canopies. In particular, (137)Cs and (134)Cs activity concentrations were measured in rainfall, throughfall, and stemflow in broad-leaf and cedar forests in an area located 40 km from the power plant. Leachable (137)Cs loss was modeled by a double exponential (DE) model. This model could not reproduce the variation in activity concentration observed. In order to refine the DE model, the main physical measurable parameters (rainfall intensity, wind velocity, and snowfall occurrence) were assessed, and rainfall was identified as the dominant factor controlling observed variation. A corrective factor was then developed to incorporate rainfall intensity in an improved DE model. With the original DE model, we estimated total (137)Cs loss by leaching from canopies to be 72 ± 4%, 67 ± 4%, and 48 ± 2% of the total plume deposition under mature cedar, young cedar, and broad-leaf forests, respectively. In contrast, with the improved DE model, the total (137)Cs loss by leaching was estimated to be 34 ± 2%, 34 ± 2%, and 16 ± 1% of the total plume deposition under mature cedar, young cedar, and broad-leaf forests, respectively. The improved DE model corresponds better to observed data in literature. Understanding (137)Cs and (134)Cs forest dynamics is important for forecasting future contamination of forest soils around the FDNPP. It also provides a basis for understanding forest transfers in future potential nuclear disasters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Loffredo
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
| | - Yuichi Onda
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Ayumi Kawamori
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
| | - Hiroaki Kato
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
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Retrospective determination of 238Pu, 239,240Pu and 90Sr activities in the outer bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) collected at various sites in the Czech Republic. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-012-2313-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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38
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Geras'kin S, Oudalova A, Dikareva N, Spiridonov S, Hinton T, Chernonog E, Garnier-Laplace J. Effects of radioactive contamination on Scots pines in the remote period after the Chernobyl accident. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2011; 20:1195-208. [PMID: 21451948 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-011-0664-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2011] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
A 6 year study of Scots pine populations inhabiting sites in the Bryansk region of Russia radioactively contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident is presented. In six study sites, (137)Cs activity concentrations and heavy metal content in soils, as well as (137)Cs, (90)Sr and heavy metal concentrations in cones were measured. Doses absorbed in reproduction organs of pine trees were calculated using a dosimetric model. The maximum annual dose absorbed at the most contaminated site was about 130 mGy. Occurrence of aberrant cells scored in the root meristem of germinated seeds collected from pine trees growing on radioactively contaminated territories for over 20 years significantly exceeded the reference levels during all 6 years of the study. The data suggest that cytogenetic effects occur in Scots pine populations due to the radioactive contamination. However, no consistent differences in reproductive ability were detected between the impacted and reference populations as measured by the frequency of abortive seeds. Even though the Scots pine populations have occupied radioactively contaminated territories for two decades, there were no clear indications of adaptation to the radiation, when measured by the number of aberrant cells in root meristems of seeds exposed to an additional acute dose of radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Geras'kin
- Russian Institute of Agricultural Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249032, Obninsk, Russia.
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Strand P, Brown J. The International Conference On Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2009; 100:999-1001. [PMID: 19487058 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2009.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2009] [Accepted: 04/03/2009] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
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