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Murakami-Sugihara N, Shirai K, Tazoe H, Mizukawa K, Takada H, Yamagata T, Otosaka S, Ogawa H. Spatiotemporal change of cesium-137 in the Pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan: The mussel watch approach. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 168:112413. [PMID: 34038820 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112413] [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: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We measured radiocesium in mussel tissue collected from the Pacific coast of Tohoku from 2011 to 2015 to investigate the temporal and spatial dynamics of radiocesium in the coastal area. Radioactive 137Cs was detected in all the samples collected in 2011, but it was not found in samples from localities north of Sendai after 2012. In contrast, 137Cs was detected in many sites in the Fukushima area even from 2012 to 2015. The fluctuation of 137Cs concentration in mussel tissue seems to reflect the 137Cs concentration in suspended particles in the seawater, suggesting that there was an influx of soil deposition and resuspension of seabed sediment. These results suggest that the 137Cs concentration in mussel tissue sensitively indicates the 137Cs concentration in the environment, and that the "mussel watch" approach is an effective way to understand the dynamics of radiocesium concentrations in coastal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Murakami-Sugihara
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan.
| | - Kotaro Shirai
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Tazoe
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1, Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
| | - Kaoruko Mizukawa
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Hideshige Takada
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan
| | - Takeyasu Yamagata
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Otosaka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ogawa
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
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2
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Consecutive sexual maturation observed in a rock shell population in the vicinity of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan. Sci Rep 2021; 11:560. [PMID: 33436968 PMCID: PMC7803997 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80686-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2012, after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) that followed the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, no rock shell (Thais clavigera; currently recognized as Reishia clavigera; Gastropoda, Neogastropoda, Muricidae) specimens were found near the plant from Hirono to Futaba Beach (a distance of approximately 30 km). In July 2016, however, rock shells were again found to inhabit the area. From April 2017 to May 2019, we collected rock shell specimens monthly at two sites near the FDNPP (Okuma and Tomioka) and at a reference site ~ 120 km south of the FDNPP (Hiraiso). We examined the gonads of the specimens histologically to evaluate their reproductive cycle and sexual maturation. The gonads of the rock shells collected at Okuma, ~ 1 km south of the FDNPP, exhibited consecutive sexual maturation during the 2 years from April 2017 to May 2019, whereas sexual maturation of the gonads of specimens collected at Hiraiso was observed only in summer. The consecutive sexual maturation of the gonads of the specimens collected at Okuma might not represent a temporary phenomenon but rather a site-specific phenotype, possibly caused by specific environmental factors near the FDNPP.
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Tang Z, Cai J, Li Q, Zhao J, Li X, Yang Y. The regional scale atmospheric dispersion analysis and environmental radiation impacts assessment for the hypothetical accident in Haiyang nuclear power plant. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2020.103362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Aoyama M, Tsumune D, Inomata Y, Tateda Y. Mass balance and latest fluxes of radiocesium derived from the fukushima accident in the western North Pacific Ocean and coastal regions of Japan. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 217:106206. [PMID: 32217238 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106206] [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: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This article summarizes and discusses mass balance calculations of the activities of Fukushima-derived 137Cs released to the atmosphere and ocean prior to 2018 as well as the 137Cs inventories on land and in the ocean, biota, and sediment. We propose that the consensus value of the total amount of 137Cs released to the atmosphere was 15-21 PBq; atmospheric deposition of 137Cs on land was 3-6 PBq; atmospheric deposition of 137Cs on the North Pacific was 12-15 PBq; and direct discharge of 137Cs to the ocean was 3-6 PBq. We also evaluated the movement of 137Cs from one domain to another for several years after the accident. We calculated that the amount of 137Cs transported by rivers might be 40 TBq. The annual deposition of 137Cs due to resuspension at Okuma during the period 2014-2018 was 4-10 TBq year-1. The 137Cs discharged to the ocean was 0.73-1.0 TBq year-1 in 2016-2018. The integrated amount of FNPP1-derived 137Cs that entered the Sea of Japan from the Pacific Ocean from 2011 until 2017 was 270 ± 20 TBq, 6.4% of the estimated amount of FNPP1-derived 137Cs in Subtropical Mode Water in the North Pacific. The integrated amount of FNPP1-derived 137Cs that returned to the North Pacific Ocean through the Tsugaru Strait from the Sea of Japan was 110 ± 10 TBq. Decontamination efforts removed 134 TBq of 137Cs from surface soil prior to February 2019, an amount that corresponded to 4% of the137Cs deposited on land in Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michio Aoyama
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Univ. of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Tsumune
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yayoi Inomata
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Yutaka Tateda
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Chiba, Japan
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5
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Tsumune D, Tsubono T, Misumi K, Tateda Y, Toyoda Y, Onda Y, Aoyama M. Impacts of direct release and river discharge on oceanic 137Cs derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 214-215:106173. [PMID: 32063291 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106173] [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: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A series of accidents at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F NPP) following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 resulted in the release of radioactive materials to the ocean. We used the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) to simulate the 137Cs activity in the oceanic area off Fukushima, with the sources of radioactivity being direct release, atmospheric deposition, river discharge, and inflow across the domain boundary. The direct release rate of 137Cs after the accident until the end of 2016 was estimated by comparing simulated results with measured 137Cs activities adjacent to the 1F NPP. River discharge rates of 137Cs were estimated by multiplying simulated river flow rates by the dissolved 137Cs activities, which were estimated by an empirical function. Inflow of 137Cs across the domain boundary was set according to the results of a North Pacific Ocean model. Because the spatiotemporal variability of 137Cs activity was large, the simulated results were compared with the annual averaged observed 137Cs activity distribution. Normalized annual averaged 137Cs activity distributions in the regional ocean were similar for each year from 2013 to 2016. This result suggests that the annual averaged distribution is predictable. Simulated 137Cs activity attributable to direct release was in good agreement with measurement data from the coastal zone adjacent to the 1F NPP. Comparison of the simulated results with measured activity in the offshore area indicated that the simulation slightly underestimated the activity attributable to inflow across the domain boundary. This result suggests that recirculation of subducted 137Cs to the surface layer was underestimated by the North Pacific model. During the study period, the effect of river discharge on oceanic 137Cs activity was small compared to the effect of directly released 137Cs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Tsumune
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646, Abiko, 270-1194, Japan.
| | - Takaki Tsubono
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646, Abiko, 270-1194, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Misumi
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646, Abiko, 270-1194, Japan
| | - Yutaka Tateda
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646, Abiko, 270-1194, Japan
| | - Yasushi Toyoda
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646, Abiko, 270-1194, Japan
| | - Yuichi Onda
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan
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Shigeoka Y, Myose H, Akiyama S, Matsumoto A, Hirakawa N, Ohashi H, Higuchi K, Arakawa H. Temporal Variation of Radionuclide Contamination of Marine Plants on the Fukushima Coast after the East Japan Nuclear Disaster. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:9370-9377. [PMID: 31310718 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake and associated tsunami in March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) released a large amount of radioactive material into the environment, resulting in contamination of many marine organisms. In this study, 15 marine algal species and a seagrass species were collected from the sublittoral zone of the Iwaki Coast of Fukushima Prefecture from May 2012 to June 2015 and analyzed for variations in 110mAg, 134Cs, and 137Cs over time. The results indicated that (1) 110mAg, 134Cs, and 137Cs were present in all marine plants collected in May 2012, (2) the concentration of 110mAg in the seagrass Phyllospadix iwatensis decreased significantly over time while the ecological half-life of 110mAg in P. iwatensis was longer at locations closer to the FDNPP, and (3) the 110mAg/137Cs radioactivity ratio of P. iwatensis was remarkably high until 2015, indicating that detectable 110mAg was present in the coastal environment 4 years after the accident. The concentration of 110mAg in P. iwatensis was higher than those in other marine algae, demonstrating a species-specific mechanism of accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Shigeoka
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
- Tokyo Kyuei Company Ltd. , 1-15, Nihonbashi-3 , Chuo, Tokyo 103-0027 , Japan
| | - Hiroshi Myose
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
| | - Seiji Akiyama
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
| | - Akira Matsumoto
- Fukushima Prefectural Research Institute of Fisheries Resources , 1-1-14 Kouyou , Soma , Fukushima 976-0005 , Japan
| | - Naoto Hirakawa
- Fishery Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Department , 2-16 Sugitsuma-cho , Fukushima , Fukushima 960-8670 , Japan
| | - Hideo Ohashi
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
| | - Ken Higuchi
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
| | - Hisayuki Arakawa
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , 4-5-7 Konan , Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8477 , Japan
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7
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Spatial modelling of Cs-137 and Sr-90 fallout after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06713-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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8
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Külahcı F, Bilici A. Advances on identification and animated simulations of radioactivity risk levels after Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident (with a data bank): A Critical Review. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06559-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Belharet M, Charmasson S, Tsumune D, Arnaud M, Estournel C. Numerical modelling of 137Cs content in the pelagic species of the Japanese Pacific coast following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident using a size-structured food-web model. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212616. [PMID: 30865647 PMCID: PMC6415814 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As result of the great east Japan earthquake on March 2011 and the damages of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), huge amount of radionuclides, especially 137Cs, were released to the Japanese Pacific coast. By consequence, several marine species have been contaminated by direct uptake of radionuclides from seawater or through feeding on contaminated preys. In the present study we propose a novel radioecological modelling approach aiming to simulate the radionuclides transfer to pelagic marine species by giving to the organism body-size a key role in the model. We applied the model to estimate the 137Cs content in 14 commercially important species of the North-Western Pacific Ocean after the FDNPP accident. Firstly, we validated the model and evaluated its performance using various observed field data, and we demonstrated the importance of using such modelling approach in radioecological studies. Afterwards, we estimated some radioecological metrics, such as the maximum activity concentration, its corresponding time and the ecological half-life, which are important in assessment of the previous, current and future contamination levels of the studied species. Finally, we estimated the time duration required for each species to reach the pre-accident 137Cs activity concentrations. The results showed that the contamination levels in the planktivorous species have generally reached the pre-accident levels since about 5 years after the accident (since 2016). While in the case of the higher trophic level species, although the activity concentrations are much lower than the regulatory limit for radiocesium in seafood in Japan (100 Bq kg-1), these species still require another 6–14 years (2018–2026) to reach the pre-accident levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mokrane Belharet
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE, Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Transferts de radionucléides dans les écosystèmes Aquatiques (LRTA), Saint-Paul Lez Durance, France
- Laboratoire d’Aérologie (LA), UMR 5560, CNRS–Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Sabine Charmasson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE, Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Transferts de radionucléides dans les écosystèmes Aquatiques (LRTA), Saint-Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Daisuke Tsumune
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, Abiko, Japan
| | - Mireille Arnaud
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE, Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Transferts de radionucléides dans les écosystèmes Aquatiques (LRTA), Saint-Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Claude Estournel
- Laboratoire d’Aérologie (LA), UMR 5560, CNRS–Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
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10
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Kumamoto Y, Yamada M, Aoyama M, Hamajima Y, Kaeriyama H, Nagai H, Yamagata T, Murata A, Masumoto Y. Radiocesium in North Pacific coastal and offshore areas of Japan within several months after the Fukushima accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 198:79-88. [PMID: 30593926 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We measured activity concentrations of radiocesium (134Cs and 137Cs) in seawater samples collected in North Pacific coastal and offshore areas of Japan within several months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) accident in March 2011, including archived seawater samples whose radiocesium concentrations were previously reported to be below detection limits. By merging 329 new data with published results, we succeeded in reconstructing the temporal changes in activity concentrations and inventories of FNPP1-derived radiocesium in the coastal and offshore areas within several months after the accident for the first time. 137Cs directly-discharged from the FNPP1 was transported eastward within the coastal area about 250 km from the FNPP1 during two months after the accident due to complex movements of coastal surface currents. The eastward speed was calculated to be about 5 cm s-1. Eastward transport of 137Cs to the offshore area more than 600 km away from the FNPP1 along the north flank of the Kuroshio Extension Current was faster (about 9 cm s-1) and probably more dominant in the eastward transport. The total inventory of directly-discharged 137Cs in early April 2011 was estimated to be 3-6 PBq approximately, which agrees with the smaller estimates in previous studies (2-6 PBq).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Kumamoto
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.
| | - Masatoshi Yamada
- Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori, 036-8564, Japan.
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1-1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan.
| | - Yasunori Hamajima
- Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Wake, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1224, Japan.
| | - Hideki Kaeriyama
- Research Center for Fisheries Oceanography and Marine Ecosystem, National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan.
| | - Hisao Nagai
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 2-25-40 Sakura-josui, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8550, Japan.
| | - Takeyasu Yamagata
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 2-25-40 Sakura-josui, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8550, Japan.
| | - Akihiko Murata
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan.
| | - Yukio Masumoto
- Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
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11
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Metian M, Pouil S, Fowler SW. Radiocesium accumulation in aquatic organisms: A global synthesis from an experimentalist's perspective. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 198:147-158. [PMID: 30611082 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A better understanding of the fate of radiocesium in aquatic organisms is essential for making accurate assessments of potential impacts of radiocesium contamination on ecosystems and human health. Studies of the accumulation of 134Cs, 136Cs and 137Cs in diverse biota have been the subject of many field investigations; however, it may often be difficult to understand all the mechanisms underlying the observations reported. To complement field investigations, laboratory experiments allow better understanding the observations and predicting dynamics of Cs within aquatic ecosystems by accurately assessing bioaccumulation of Cs in living organisms. The present review summarizes selected relevant laboratory studies carried out on Cs bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms over a period of more than 60 years. To date, 125 experimental studies have been carried out on 227 species of aquatic organisms since 1957. The present review provides a synthesis of the existing literature by highlighting major findings and identifying gaps of key information that need to be further addressed in future works on this topic. Thus, influences of some environmental parameters such as water chemistry both for marine and freshwater ecosystems, and biotic factors such as the life-stages and size of the organisms on radiocesium bioaccumulation should be examined and become priority topics for future research on Cs accumulation in aquatic organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Metian
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco.
| | - Simon Pouil
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco
| | - Scott W Fowler
- Institute Bobby, 8 Allée des Orangers, 06320, Cap d'Ail, France
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12
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Lacoue-Labarthe T, Oberhänsli F, Teyssié JL, Metian M. The absence of the pCO 2 effect on dissolved 134Cs uptake in select marine organisms. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 192:10-13. [PMID: 29870834 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ocean acidification have been shown to not affect the capacity of bivalves to bioaccumulation 134Cs in their tissue; but as this was studied on only one species to date. There is therefore a need to verify if this holds true for other bivalve species or other marine invertebrates. The present short communication confirms that in the scallop Mimachlamys varia and the prawn Penaeus japonicus, two species that supposedly have a record to preferentially concentrates this radionuclide, that bioconcentration of 134Cs was shown not to be influenced by a decreasing pH (and thereby increasing seawater pCO2). Although the dissolved 134Cs was taken up in a similar manner under different pH values (8.1, 7.8, and 7.5) in both species, being described by a saturation state equilibrium model, the species displayed different bioconcentration capacities of 134Cs: CFss in the prawns was approximately 10-fold higher than in scallops. Such results suggest that the Cs bioconcentration capacity are mainly dependent of the taxa and that uptake processes are independent the physiological ones involved in the biological responses of prawns and scallops to ocean acidification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Lacoue-Labarthe
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, Monaco; Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, La Rochelle, France.
| | - François Oberhänsli
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, Monaco
| | - Jean-Louis Teyssié
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, Monaco
| | - Marc Metian
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, Monaco
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13
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Mukai H, Tamura K, Kikuchi R, Takahashi Y, Yaita T, Kogure T. Cesium desorption behavior of weathered biotite in Fukushima considering the actual radioactive contamination level of soils. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 190-191:81-88. [PMID: 29775841 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
For the better understanding of radioactive contamination in Fukushima Prefecture at present and in future, Cs desorption experiments have been conducted mainly using weathered biotite (WB) collected from Fukushima Prefecture and considering the actual contamination level (∼10-10 wt%) of radiocesium in Fukushima Prefecture. In the experiments, 137Cs sorbed to WB by immersing in 137Cs solution for one day was mostly desorbed by solutions of 1 M NaNO3, 1 M LiNO3, 10-1 M HCl, and 10-1 M HNO3, although it was barely desorbed by 1 M KNO3, 1 M CsNO3, 1 M NH4NO3, and natural seawater. X-ray diffraction analysis of WB after immersing in these solutions suggested that the collapse of the hydrated interlayers in WB suppressed the desorption of Cs. On the other hand, 137Cs was barely desorbed from WB even by the treatments with solutions of NaNO3 and LiNO3 if the duration for the sorption was longer than approximately two weeks, as well as radioactive WB collected from actual contaminated soils in Fukushima Prefecture. This result implies that Cs sorbed in WB became more strongly fixed with time. Probably removal of radiocesium sorbed in weathered granitic soil at Fukushima Prefecture is difficult by any electrolyte solutions, as more than seven years have passed since the accident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Mukai
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan.
| | - Kenji Tamura
- Research Center for Functional Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Kikuchi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Yoshio Takahashi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Yaita
- Quantum Beam Science Center and Fukushima Environmental Safety Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Kogure
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Jaegler H, Pointurier F, Onda Y, Hubert A, Laceby JP, Cirella M, Evrard O. Plutonium isotopic signatures in soils and their variation (2011-2014) in sediment transiting a coastal river in the Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2018; 240:167-176. [PMID: 29734077 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.04.094] [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: 11/17/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident resulted in a significant release of radionuclides that were deposited on soils in Northeastern Japan. Plutonium was detected at trace levels in soils and sediments collected around the FDNPP. However, little is known regarding the spatial-temporal variation of plutonium in sediment transiting rivers in the region. In this study, plutonium isotopic compositions were first measured in soils (n = 5) in order to investigate the initial plutonium deposition. Then, plutonium isotopic compositions were measured on flood sediment deposits (n = 12) collected after major typhoon events in 2011, 2013 and 2014. After a thorough radiochemical purification, isotopic ratios (240Pu/239Pu, 241Pu/239Pu and 242Pu/239Pu) were measured with a Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometer (MC ICP-MS), providing discrimination between plutonium derived from global fallout, from atmospheric nuclear weapon tests, and plutonium derived from the FDNPP accident. Results demonstrate that soils with the most Fukushima-derived plutonium were in the main radiocaesium plume and that there was a variable mixture of plutonium sources in the flood sediment samples. Plutonium concentrations and isotopic ratios generally decreased between 2011 and 2014, reflecting the progressive erosion and transport of contaminated sediment in this coastal river during flood events. Exceptions to this general trend were attributed to the occurrence of decontamination works or the remobilisation of contaminated material during typhoons. The different plutonium concentrations and isotopic ratios obtained on three aliquots of a single sample suggest that the Fukushima-derived plutonium was likely borne by discrete plutonium-containing particles. In the future, these particles should be isolated and further characterized in order to better understand the fate of this long-lived radionuclide in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Jaegler
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8212 (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | | | - Yuichi Onda
- Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics (CRIED), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | - J Patrick Laceby
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8212 (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Alberta Environment and Parks, 3115 - 12 Street NE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Olivier Evrard
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8212 (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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15
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Pouil S, Oberhänsli F, Swarzenski PW, Bustamante P, Metian M. The role of salinity in the trophic transfer of 137Cs in euryhaline fish. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2018; 189:255-260. [PMID: 29734101 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.03.017] [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: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In order to better understand the influence of changing salinity conditions on the trophic transfer of 137Cs in marine fish that live in dynamic coastal environments, its depuration kinetics was investigated in controlled aquaria. The juvenile turbot Scophthalmus maximus was acclimated to three distinct salinity conditions (10, 25 and 38) and then single-fed with compounded pellets that were radiolabelled with 137Cs. At the end of a 21-d depuration period, assimilation efficiencies (i.e. AEs = proportion of 137Cs ingested that is actually assimilated by turbots) were determined from observational data acquired over the three weeks. Our results showed that AEs of 137Cs in the turbots acclimated to the highest salinity condition were significantly lower than for the other conditions (p < 0.05). Osmoregulation likely explains the decreasing AE observed at the highest salinity condition. Indeed, observations indicate that fish depurate ingested 137Cs at a higher rate when they increase ion excretion, needed to counterbalance the elevated salinity. Such data confirm that ambient salinity plays an important role in trophic transfer of 137Cs in some fish species. Implications for such findings extend to seafood safety and climate change impact studies, where the salinity of coastal waters may shift in future years in response to changing weather patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Pouil
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Monaco; Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, F-17000, La Rochelle, France.
| | - François Oberhänsli
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Monaco
| | - Peter W Swarzenski
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Monaco
| | - Paco Bustamante
- Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS-Université de La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, F-17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Marc Metian
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine Ier, MC-98000, Monaco, Monaco
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16
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Horiguchi T, Kodama K, Aramaki T, Miyata Y, Nagao S. Radiocesium in seawater, sediments, and marine megabenthic species in coastal waters off Fukushima in 2012-2016, after the 2011 nuclear disaster. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 137:206-224. [PMID: 29628392 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In bottom-sediment samples collected in 2012 from a coastal strip (∼30 km × 120 km) off the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), radiocesium activity concentrations were generally higher south of the FDNPP, with high activity concentration patches in the north. In periodic surveys conducted at nearshore sites during 2012-2016, no clear temporal trends were observed in radiocesium activity concentrations in seawater or bottom sediment, and activity concentrations were higher in fish than in invertebrates. During 2012-2014, radiocesium activity concentrations tended to decrease in fish, but during 2012-2013 in the south, some increases were observed. Radiocesium activity concentrations were significantly higher in some fish (e.g., Okamejei kenojei) directly offshore and south of the FDNPP than in the north. Activity concentrations in fish stomach contents were significantly correlated with those in muscle tissue, suggesting that the consumption of contaminated prey contributed greatly to radiocesium contamination in demersal fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihiro Horiguchi
- Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Keita Kodama
- Center for Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Takafumi Aramaki
- Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Miyata
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 Japan
| | - Seiya Nagao
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192 Japan
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17
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Vives I Batlle J, Aoyama M, Bradshaw C, Brown J, Buesseler KO, Casacuberta N, Christl M, Duffa C, Impens NREN, Iosjpe M, Masqué P, Nishikawa J. Marine radioecology after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident: Are we better positioned to understand the impact of radionuclides in marine ecosystems? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 618:80-92. [PMID: 29127871 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper focuses on how a community of researchers under the COMET (CO-ordination and iMplementation of a pan European projecT for radioecology) project has improved the capacity of marine radioecology to understand at the process level the behaviour of radionuclides in the marine environment, uptake by organisms and the resulting doses after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident occurred in 2011. We present new radioecological understanding of the processes involved, such as the interaction of waterborne radionuclides with suspended particles and sediments or the biological uptake and turnover of radionuclides, which have been better quantified and mathematically described. We demonstrate that biokinetic models can better represent radionuclide transfer to biota in non-equilibrium situations, bringing more realism to predictions, especially when combining physical, chemical and biological interactions that occur in such an open and dynamic environment as the ocean. As a result, we are readier now than we were before the FDNPP accident in terms of having models that can be applied to dynamic situations. The paper concludes with our vision for marine radioecology as a fundamental research discipline and we present a strategy for our discipline at the European and international levels. The lessons learned are presented along with their possible applicability to assess/reduce the environmental consequences of future accidents to the marine environment and guidance for future research, as well as to assure the sustainability of marine radioecology. This guidance necessarily reflects on why and where further research funding is needed, signalling the way for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Vives I Batlle
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
| | - M Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - C Bradshaw
- Department of Ecology, Environment, and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J Brown
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA), Department of Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Radioactivity, Grini Næringspark 13, Postbox 55, NO-1332, Østerås, Norway
| | - K O Buesseler
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States
| | - N Casacuberta
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Environmental Physics, ETH-Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M Christl
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Otto Stern Weg 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - C Duffa
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), Centre de Cadarache, 13115 St Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - N R E N Impens
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - M Iosjpe
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA), Department of Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Radioactivity, Grini Næringspark 13, Postbox 55, NO-1332, Østerås, Norway
| | - P Masqué
- School of Science and Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia; Departament de Física & Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - J Nishikawa
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, Shizuoka 424-8610, Japan
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18
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Unexpected source of Fukushima-derived radiocesium to the coastal ocean of Japan. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:11092-11096. [PMID: 28973919 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1708659114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
There are 440 operational nuclear reactors in the world, with approximately one-half situated along the coastline. This includes the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), which experienced multiple reactor meltdowns in March 2011 followed by the release of radioactivity to the marine environment. While surface inputs to the ocean via atmospheric deposition and rivers are usually well monitored after a nuclear accident, no study has focused on subterranean pathways. During our study period, we found the highest cesium-137 (137Cs) levels (up to 23,000 Bq⋅m-3) outside of the FDNPP site not in the ocean, rivers, or potable groundwater, but in groundwater beneath sand beaches over tens of kilometers away from the FDNPP. Here, we present evidence of a previously unknown, ongoing source of Fukushima-derived 137Cs to the coastal ocean. We postulate that these beach sands were contaminated in 2011 through wave- and tide-driven exchange and sorption of highly radioactive Cs from seawater. Subsequent desorption of 137Cs and fluid exchange from the beach sands was quantified using naturally occurring radium isotopes. This estimated ocean 137Cs source (0.6 TBq⋅y-1) is of similar magnitude as the ongoing releases of 137Cs from the FDNPP site for 2013-2016, as well as the input of Fukushima-derived dissolved 137Cs via rivers. Although this ongoing source is not at present a public health issue for Japan, the release of Cs of this type and scale needs to be considered in nuclear power plant monitoring and scenarios involving future accidents.
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19
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Sun S, Li H, Fang S. A forward-backward coupled source term estimation for nuclear power plant accident: A case study of loss of coolant accident scenario. ANN NUCL ENERGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2017.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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20
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Lee HJ, Jo HY, Nam KP, Lee KH, Kim CH. Measurement, simulation, and meteorological interpretation of medium-range transport of radionuclides to Korea during the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident. ANN NUCL ENERGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2017.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Kumamoto Y, Aoyama M, Hamajima Y, Nagai H, Yamagata T, Kawai Y, Oka E, Yamaguchi A, Imai K, Murata A. Fukushima-derived radiocesium in the western North Pacific in 2014. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2017; 311:1209-1217. [PMID: 28250546 PMCID: PMC5306276 DOI: 10.1007/s10967-016-5055-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In 2014, we measured activity concentration of radiocesium in the western North Pacific Ocean. In the north of Kuroshio Front high activity concentration of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in surface mixed layer in 2012 had been transported eastward by 2014. In the south of the front we found a radiocesium subsurface maximum in 200-600 m depth, which was similar to that observed in 2012. The subsurface maximum spread southward from 18°N to 15°N between 2012 and 2014, which suggests spreading of Fukushima-derived radiocesium into the whole western subtropical area by 2014 due to formation and subduction of the subtropical mode water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Kumamoto
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061 Japan
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1-1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296 Japan
| | - Yasunori Hamajima
- Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Wake, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1224 Japan
| | - Hisao Nagai
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 3-25-40 Sakurajousui, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, 156-8550 Japan
| | - Takeyasu Yamagata
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University, 3-25-40 Sakurajousui, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, 156-8550 Japan
| | - Yoshimi Kawai
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061 Japan
| | - Eitarou Oka
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564 Japan
| | - Atsushi Yamaguchi
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611 Japan
| | - Keiri Imai
- School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato-cho, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611 Japan
| | - Akihiko Murata
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061 Japan
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22
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Buesseler K, Dai M, Aoyama M, Benitez-Nelson C, Charmasson S, Higley K, Maderich V, Masqué P, Morris PJ, Oughton D, Smith JN. Fukushima Daiichi-Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2017; 9:173-203. [PMID: 27359052 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The events that followed the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, included the loss of power and overheating at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants, which led to extensive releases of radioactive gases, volatiles, and liquids, particularly to the coastal ocean. The fate of these radionuclides depends in large part on their oceanic geochemistry, physical processes, and biological uptake. Whereas radioactivity on land can be resampled and its distribution mapped, releases to the marine environment are harder to characterize owing to variability in ocean currents and the general challenges of sampling at sea. Five years later, it is appropriate to review what happened in terms of the sources, transport, and fate of these radionuclides in the ocean. In addition to the oceanic behavior of these contaminants, this review considers the potential health effects and societal impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Buesseler
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543;
| | - Minhan Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China;
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan;
| | | | - Sabine Charmasson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, PRP-ENV, La Seyne/Mer 83507, France;
| | - Kathryn Higley
- School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331;
| | - Vladimir Maderich
- Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Kiev 03680, Ukraine;
| | - Pere Masqué
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, Australia;
- Departament de Física, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelon, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Paul J Morris
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency, MC 98000, Monaco;
| | - Deborah Oughton
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås 1430, Norway;
| | - John N Smith
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth B2Y 4A2, Canada;
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23
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Povinec PP, Liong Wee Kwong L, Kaizer J, Molnár M, Nies H, Palcsu L, Papp L, Pham MK, Jean-Baptiste P. Impact of the Fukushima accident on tritium, radiocarbon and radiocesium levels in seawater of the western North Pacific Ocean: A comparison with pre-Fukushima situation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 166:56-66. [PMID: 26997585 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Tritium, radiocarbon and radiocesium concentrations in water column samples in coastal waters offshore Fukushima and in the western North Pacific Ocean collected in 2011-2012 during the Ka'imikai-o-Kanaloa (KoK) cruise are compared with other published results. The highest levels in surface seawater were observed for 134Cs and 137Cs in seawater samples collected offshore Fukushima (up to 1.1 Bq L-1), which represent an increase by about three orders of magnitude when compared with the pre-Fukushima concentration. Tritium levels were much lower (up to 0.15 Bq L-1), representing an increase by about a factor of 6. The impact on the radiocarbon distribution was measurable, but the observed levels were only by about 9% above the global fallout background. The 137Cs (and similarly 134Cs) inventory in the water column of the investigated western North Pacific region was (2.7 ± 0.4) PBq, while for 3H it was only (0.3 ± 0.2) PBq. Direct releases of highly contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima NPP, as well as dry and wet depositions of these radionuclides over the western North Pacific considerably changed their distribution patterns in seawater. Presently we can distinguish Fukushima labeled waters from global fallout background thanks to short-lived 134Cs. However, in the long-term perspective when 134Cs will decay, new distribution patterns of 3H, 14C and 137Cs in the Pacific Ocean should be established for future oceanographic and climate change studies in the Pacific Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Povinec
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - L Liong Wee Kwong
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency, MC 98000 Monaco
| | - J Kaizer
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 84248 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - M Molnár
- Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI), 4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - H Nies
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency, MC 98000 Monaco
| | - L Palcsu
- Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI), 4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - L Papp
- Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI), 4026 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - M K Pham
- Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency, MC 98000 Monaco
| | - P Jean-Baptiste
- LSCE, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, CEA/Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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24
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KUMAMOTO Y, AOYAMA M, HAMAJIMA Y, NAGAI H, YAMAGATA T, MURATA A. Spreading of Fukushima-derived Radiocesium in the Western North Pacific Ocean by the End of 2014. BUNSEKI KAGAKU 2017. [DOI: 10.2116/bunsekikagaku.66.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro KUMAMOTO
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
| | - Michio AOYAMA
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University
| | | | - Hisao NAGAI
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University
| | - Takeyasu YAMAGATA
- Department of Chemistry, College of Humanities and Sciences, Nihon University
| | - Akihiko MURATA
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
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25
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Arai T. Temporal and spatial variations of radioactive cesium levels in Northeast Japan following the Fukushima nuclear accident. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2016; 25:1514-1522. [PMID: 27619688 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-016-1703-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Radioactive emissions into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident led to global contamination. Radionuclides such as 131I, 134Cs, and 137Cs were further transported to North America and Europe. Thus, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident is a global concern for both human health and the ecosystem because a number of countries ban or impose restrictions the import of Japanese products. In the present study, three-year (May 2011 to May 2014) fluctuations and accumulations of Cs, 134Cs, and 137Cs in two salmonid fish, white-spotted char and masu salmon were examined in Northeast Japan. The total Cs, 134Cs, and 137Cs levels in the fish gradually decreased throughout the three-year studied period after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident; however, higher levels (more than 100 Bq kg-1) were still detected in the Fukushima prefecture and neighboring prefectures in Japan 3 years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Spatial radiocesium levels gradually decreased with increasing distance from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (Fukushima prefecture). The radiocesium levels facing the Pacific Ocean area were generally higher than those facing the Sea of Japan area. These results suggest that radionuclides from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are still widely distributed and remain in the natural environment in Northeast Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaomi Arai
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE, 1410, Brunei Darussalam.
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26
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Hirose K. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant accident: Atmospheric and oceanic impacts over the five years. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 157:113-130. [PMID: 27032342 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant (FDNPP) accident resulted in huge environmental and socioeconomic impacts to Japan. To document the actual environmental and socioeconomic effects of the FDNPP accident, we describe here atmospheric and marine contamination due to radionuclides released from the FDNPP accident using papers published during past five years, in which temporal and spatial variations of FDNPP-derived radionuclides in air, deposition and seawater and their mapping are recorded by local, regional and global monitoring activities. High radioactivity-contaminated area in land were formed by the dispersion of the radioactive cloud and precipitation, depending on land topography and local meteorological conditions, whereas extremely high concentrations of (131)I and radiocesium in seawater occurred due to direct release of radioactivity-contaminated stagnant water in addition to atmospheric deposition. For both of atmosphere and ocean, numerical model simulations, including local, regional and global-scale modeling, were extensively employed to evaluate source terms of the FDNPP-derived radionuclides from the monitoring data. These models also provided predictions of the dispersion and high deposition areas of the FDNPP-derived radionuclides. However, there are significant differences between the observed and simulated values. Then, the monitoring data would give a good opportunity to improve numerical modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsumi Hirose
- Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan.
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Kakehi S, Kaeriyama H, Ambe D, Ono T, Ito SI, Shimizu Y, Watanabe T. Radioactive cesium dynamics derived from hydrographic observations in the Abukuma River Estuary, Japan. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 153:1-9. [PMID: 26698826 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/30/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Large quantities of radioactive materials were released into the air and the ocean as a result of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, caused by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the subsequent major tsunami off the Pacific coast. There is much concern about radioactive contamination in both the watershed of the Abukuma River, which flows through Fukushima Prefecture, and its estuary, where it discharges into the sea in Miyagi Prefecture. We investigated radioactive cesium dynamics using mixing diagrams obtained from hydrographic observations of the Abukuma River Estuary. Particulate radioactive cesium dominates the cesium load in the river, whereas the dissolved form dominates in the sea. As the salinity increased from <0.1 to 0.1-2.3, the mixing diagram showed that dissolved radioactive cesium concentrations increased, because of desorption. Desorption from suspended particles explained 36% of dissolved radioactive cesium in estuarine water. However, the dissolved and particulate radioactive cesium concentrations in the sea decreased sharply because of dilution. It is thought that more than 80% of the discharged particulate radioactive cesium was deposited off the river mouth, where the radioactive cesium concentrations in sediment were relatively high (217-2440 Bq kg(-1)). Radioactive cesium that was discharged to the sea was transported southward by currents driven by the density distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeho Kakehi
- Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, 3-27-5 Shinhama-cho, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0001, Japan.
| | - Hideki Kaeriyama
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ambe
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
| | - Tsuneo Ono
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Ito
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - Yugo Shimizu
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Sciences, Fisheries Research Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-8648, Japan
| | - Tomowo Watanabe
- Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, 3-27-5 Shinhama-cho, Shiogama, Miyagi 985-0001, Japan
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Intrusion of Fukushima-derived radiocaesium into subsurface water due to formation of mode waters in the North Pacific. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22010. [PMID: 26915424 PMCID: PMC4768088 DOI: 10.1038/srep22010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 released radiocaesium ((137)Cs and (134)Cs) into the North Pacific Ocean. Meridional transects of the vertical distribution of radiocaesium in seawater were measured along 147 °E and 155 °E in October-November 2012, 19 months after the accident. These measurements revealed subsurface peaks in radiocaesium concentrations at locations corresponding to two mode waters, Subtropical Mode Water and Central Mode Water. Mode water is a layer of almost vertically homogeneous water found over a large geographical area. Here we show that repeated formation of mode water during the two winter seasons after the Fukushima accident and subsequent outcropping into surface water transported radiocaesium downward and southward to subtropical regions of the North Pacific. The total amount of Fukushima-derived (134)Cs within Subtropical Mode Water, decay-corrected to April 2011, was estimated to be 4.2 ± 1.1 PBq in October-November 2012. This amount of (134)Cs corresponds to 22-28% of the total amount of (134)Cs released to the Pacific Ocean.
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Inomata Y, Aoyama M, Tsubono T, Tsumune D, Hirose K. Spatial and temporal distributions of (134)Cs and (137)Cs derived from the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in the North Pacific Ocean by using optimal interpolation analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2016; 18:126-136. [PMID: 26662211 DOI: 10.1039/c5em00324e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Optimal interpolation (OI) analysis was used to investigate the oceanic distributions of (134)Cs and (137)Cs released from the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) accident. From the end of March to early April 2011, extremely high activities were observed in the coastal surface seawater near the FNPP1. The high activities spread to a region near 165°E in the western North Pacific Ocean, with a latitudinal center of 40°N. Atmospheric deposition also caused high activities in the region between 180° and 130°W in the North Pacific Ocean. The inventory of FNPP1-released (134)Cs in the North Pacific Ocean was estimated to be 15.3 ± 2.6 PBq. About half of this activity (8.4 ± 2.6 PBq) was found in the coastal region near the FNPP1. After 6 April 2011, when major direct releases ceased, the FNPP1-released (134)Cs in the coastal region decreased exponentially with an apparent half-time of about 4.2 ± 0.5 days and declined to about 2 ± 0.4 PBq by the middle of May 2011. Taking into account that the (134)Cs/(137)Cs activity ratio was about 1 just after release and was extremely uniform during the first month after the accident, the amount of (137)Cs released by the FNPP1 accident increased the North Pacific inventory of (137)Cs due to bomb testing during the 1950s and early 1960s by 20%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Inomata
- Atmospheric Research Department, Asia Center for Air Pollution Research, 1182, Sowa, Nishiku, Niigata-shi, Niigata-ken 950-2144, Japan.
| | - M Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima-ken 960-1296, Japan
| | - T Tsubono
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko-shi, Chiba-ken 270-1194, Japan
| | - D Tsumune
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko-shi, Chiba-ken 270-1194, Japan
| | - K Hirose
- Department of Material and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyodaku, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
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Periáñez R, Brovchenko I, Duffa C, Jung KT, Kobayashi T, Lamego F, Maderich V, Min BI, Nies H, Osvath I, Psaltaki M, Suh KS. A new comparison of marine dispersion model performances for Fukushima Dai-ichi releases in the frame of IAEA MODARIA program. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2015; 150:247-269. [PMID: 26378958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A detailed intercomparison of marine dispersion models applied to the releases from Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant was carried out in the frame of MODARIA program, of the IAEA. Models were compared in such a way that the reasons of the discrepancies between them can be assessed (i.e., if they are due to the hydrodynamic part, the dispersion part, and the ultimate reasons). A sequential chain of dispersion exercises was carried out with this purpose. The overall idea is to harmonize models, making them run with the same forcing in a step-by-step procedure, in such a way that the main agent in producing discrepancy between models can be found. It was found that the main reason of discrepancies between models is due to the description of the hydrodynamics. However, once this has been suppressed, some variability between model outputs remains due to intrinsic differences between models (as numerical schemes). The numerical experiments were carried out for a perfectly conservative radionuclide and for (137)Cs (including water/sediment interactions). Model outputs for this radionuclide were also compared with measurements in water and sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl Periáñez
- Dpt Física Aplicada I, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla, Ctra Utrera km 1, 41013, Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Igor Brovchenko
- Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev, 03187, Ukraine
| | - Celine Duffa
- IRSN, PRP-ENV/SESURE/LERCM, La Seyne sur Mer, France
| | - Kyung-Tae Jung
- Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787 Hean-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, 426-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Takuya Kobayashi
- Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata Shirane, Tokai, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan
| | - Fernando Lamego
- Instituto de Engenheria Nuclear, Rua Hélio de Almeida 75, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21941-906, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vladimir Maderich
- Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev, 03187, Ukraine
| | - Byung-Il Min
- Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-Daero 989-111, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hartmut Nies
- Bundesamt fuer Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie, Wüstland 2, 22589, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Iolanda Osvath
- IAEA Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, MC-98000, Monaco
| | - Maria Psaltaki
- National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytexneiou 9, 15780, Zografou, Greece
| | - Kyung-Suk Suh
- Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daedeok-Daero 989-111, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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Stan-Sion C, Enachescu M, Petre AR. AMS analyses of I-129 from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in the Pacific Ocean waters of the Coast La Jolla--San Diego, USA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2015; 17:932-938. [PMID: 25901961 DOI: 10.1039/c5em00124b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an experimental study we performed by using the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) method with iodine 129 (T1/2 = 15.7 My), to determine the increase of the radionuclide content in the USA West Pacific Coast waters, two years after the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. The collection of the water samples took place between April and July 2013 at regular intervals of time, from the Pacific Ocean, at the cove of La Jolla, San Diego, USA. The results of the experiments showed a significant increase of the radionuclide concentration during the late spring of 2013. Compared to the isotopic ratio (129)I/(127)I, measured at a 40 km distance, offshore of Fukushima and immediately after the accident, our results show an increase on the USA West Coast that was more than a 2.5 factor higher. Also, compared with the pre-Fukushima background values, our results show an isotopic ratio of about two orders of magnitude higher. A distinct feature of the reconstructed radioactive plume was that it traveled with a speed of 12 cm s(-1), which we estimated and is consistent with the zonal speed in the Pacific. We coupled our (129)I results with the measurements from the June 2011 KOK cruise and we derived the levels of activity for (3)H and (137)Cs. On the USA West Coast, they did not exceed the international regulatory limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Stan-Sion
- Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Engineering (IFIN-HH), Magurele, Bucharest, Romania.
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Kumamoto Y, Aoyama M, Hamajima Y, Murata A, Kawano T. Impact of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in the western North Pacific Ocean about ten months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2015; 140:114-122. [PMID: 25461523 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We measured vertical distributions of radiocesium ((134)Cs and (137)Cs) at stations along the 149°E meridian in the western North Pacific during winter 2012, about ten months after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) accident. The Fukushima-derived (134)Cs activity concentration and water-column inventory were largest in the transition region between 35 and 40°N approximately due to the directed discharge of the contaminated water from the FNPP1. The bomb-derived (137)Cs activity concentration just before the FNPP1 accident was derived from the excess (137)Cs activity concentration relative to the (134)Cs activity concentration. The water-column inventory of the bomb-derived (137)Cs was largest in the subtropical region south of 35°N, which implies that the Fukushima-derived (134)Cs will also be transported from the transition region to the subtropical region in the coming decades. Mean values of the water-column inventories decay-corrected for the Fukushima-derived (134)Cs and the bomb-derived (137)Cs were estimated to be 1020 ± 80 and 820 ± 120 Bq m(-2), respectively, suggesting that in winter 2012 the impact of the FNPP1 accident in the western North Pacific Ocean was nearly the same as that of nuclear weapons testing. Relationship between the water-column inventory and the activity concentration in surface water for the radiocesium is essential information for future evaluation of the total amount of Fukushima-derived radiocesium released into the North Pacific Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichiro Kumamoto
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan.
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1-1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Yasunori Hamajima
- Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Wake, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1224, Japan
| | - Akihiko Murata
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kawano
- Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
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Misumi K, Tsumune D, Tsubono T, Tateda Y, Aoyama M, Kobayashi T, Hirose K. Factors controlling the spatiotemporal variation of (137)Cs in seabed sediment off the Fukushima coast: implications from numerical simulations. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2014; 136:218-228. [PMID: 24980438 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 05/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We used numerical simulations to investigate major controls on spatiotemporal variations of (137)Cs activities in seabed sediments off the Fukushima coast during the first year after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The numerical model we used includes (137)Cs transfer between bottom water and sediment by adsorption and desorption, and radioactive decay. The model successfully reproduced major features of the observed spatiotemporal variations of (137)Cs activities in sediments. The spatial pattern of (137)Cs in sediments, which mainly reflected the history of (137)Cs activities in bottom water overlying the sediments and the sediment particle size distribution, became established during the first several months after the accident. The simulated temporal persistence of the (137)Cs activity in the sediments was due to adsorption of (137)Cs onto the sediment mineral fraction having a long desorption timescale of (137)Cs. The simulated total (137)Cs inventory in sediments integrated over the offshore area, where most of the monitoring stations were located, was on the order of 10(13) Bq; this value is consistent with a previous estimate based on observed data. Taking into account (137)Cs activities in sediments in both the coastal area and in the vicinity of the power plant, the simulated total inventory of (137)Cs in sediments off the Fukushima coast increased to a value on the order of 10(14) Bq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiro Misumi
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko, Chiba 270-1194, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Tsumune
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko, Chiba 270-1194, Japan
| | - Takaki Tsubono
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko, Chiba 270-1194, Japan
| | - Yutaka Tateda
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko, Chiba 270-1194, Japan
| | - Michio Aoyama
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
| | - Takuya Kobayashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata-Shirane, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Katsumi Hirose
- Department of Materials and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
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Arai T. Salmon Migration Patterns Revealed the Temporal and Spatial Fluctuations of the Radiocesium Levels in Terrestrial and Ocean Environments. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100779. [PMID: 24964195 PMCID: PMC4071060 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The disabling of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1NPP) resulted in the release of radionuclides, including 134Cs and 137Cs, into the air and the ocean. The unpredicted nuclear accident is of global concern for human health and the ecosystem. Although investigations of radionuclides in environments were performed shortly after the accident started, the temporal and spatial impacts and fluctuations on the releasing radionuclides to natural environment remain unclear. I focused on salmon, which migrate from inland to the open ocean globally, to reveal the three-year (May 2011 to February 2014) fluctuations and accumulations of 134Cs and 137Cs from terrestrial to open ocean environments after the F1NPP accident. The 134Cs and 137Cs concentrations in six salmonids exhibited lower temporal variations for three years after the F1NPP accident, suggesting that these radionuclides are widely distributed and these radionuclides remain in the natural environment globally with less convergence. The accumulation patterns were significantly different among the different salmon species. Fluvial (freshwater residence) type salmons exhibited significantly higher accumulation in 134Cs (25.3–40.2 Bq kg−1 in mean) and 137Cs (41.4–51.7 Bq kg−1 in mean) than did the anadromous (sea-run) type salmons (0.64–8.03 Bq kg−1 in mean 134Cs and 0.42–10.2 Bq kg−1 in mean 137Cs) suggesting widespread contamination in terrestrial environments versus the coastal and open ocean environments. Salmonids are the most highly migratory animals and are characterised by their strong tendency to return home to their natal site for reproduction. Salmonids have a potential to be a good indicator as an effective monitoring animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaomi Arai
- Institute of Oceanography and Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
- * E-mail:
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Inomata Y, Aoyama M, Hirose K, Sanada Y, Torii T, Tsubono T, Tsumune D, Yamada M. Distribution of radionuclides in surface seawater obtained by an aerial radiological survey. J NUCL SCI TECHNOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/00223131.2014.914451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Southward spreading of the Fukushima-derived radiocesium across the Kuroshio Extension in the North Pacific. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4276. [PMID: 24589762 PMCID: PMC3940975 DOI: 10.1038/srep04276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The accident of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in March 2011 released a large amount of radiocesium into the North Pacific Ocean. Vertical distributions of Fukushima-derived radiocesium were measured at stations along the 149°E meridian in the western North Pacific during the winter of 2012. In the subtropical region, to the south of the Kuroshio Extension, we found a subsurface radiocesium maximum at a depth of about 300 m. It is concluded that atmospheric-deposited radiocesium south of the Kuroshio Extension just after the accident had been transported not only eastward along with surface currents but also southward due to formation/subduction of subtropical mode waters within about 10 months after the accident. The total amount of decay-corrected 134Cs in the mode water was an estimated about 6 PBq corresponding to 10–60% of the total inventory of Fukushima-derived 134Cs in the North Pacific Ocean.
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Kawai H, Kitamura A, Mimura M, Mimura T, Tahara T, Aida D, Sato K, Sasaki H. Radioactive cesium accumulation in seaweeds by the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant accident-two years' monitoring at Iwaki and its vicinity. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2013; 127:23-42. [PMID: 24310613 PMCID: PMC3882568 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-013-0603-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Accumulations of radionuclides in marine macroalgae (seaweeds) resulting from the Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant (F1NPP) accident in March 2011 have been monitored for two years using high-purity germanium detectors. Algal specimens were collected seasonally by snorkeling at Nagasaki, Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture (Pref.), Japan, ca. 50 km perimeter from the F1NPP. Additional collections were done at Soma, Hironocho, Hisanohama and Shioyazaki in Fukushima Pref. as well as at Chiba Pref. and Hyogo Pref. as controls. In May 2011, specimens of most macroalgal species showed ¹³⁷Cs levels greater than 3,000 Bq kg⁻¹ at Shioyazaki and Nagasaki. The highest ¹³⁷Cs level recorded 7371.20 ± 173.95 Bq kg⁻¹ in Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar on 2 May 2011, whereas seawater collected at the same time at Shioyazaki and Nagasaki measured 8.41 ± 3.21 and 9.74 ± 3.43 Bq L⁻¹, respectively. The concentration factor of marine macroalgae was estimated to be ca. 8-50, depending on taxa and considering a weight ratio of wet/dry samples of ca. 10. ¹³⁷Cs level declined remarkably during the following 5-6 months. In contrast, the ¹³⁷Cs level remained rather stable during the following 12-16 months, and maintained the range of 10-110 Bq kg⁻¹. Contamination was still detectable in many samples in March 2013, 24 months after the most significant pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kawai
- Kobe University Research Center for Inland Seas, Rokkodai, Nadaku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan,
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Periáñez R, Suh KS, Byung-Il M, Casacuberta N, Masqué P. Numerical modeling of the releases of (90)SR from Fukushima to the ocean: an evaluation of the source term. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:12305-12313. [PMID: 24079837 DOI: 10.1021/es4031408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A numerical model consisting of a 3D advection/diffusion equation, including uptake/release reactions between water and sediments described in a dynamic way, has been applied to simulate the marine releases of (90)Sr from the Fukushima power plant after the March 2011 tsunami. This is a relevant issue since (90)Sr releases are still occurring. The model used here had been successfully applied to simulate (137)Cs releases. Assuming that the temporal trend of (90)Sr releases was the same as for (137)Cs during the four months after the accident simulated here, the source term could be evaluated, resulting in a total release of 80 TBq of (90)Sr until the end of June, which is in the lower range of previous estimates. Computed vertical profiles of (90)Sr in the water column have been compared with measured ones. The (90)Sr inventories within the model domain have also been calculated for the water column and for bed sediments. Maximum dissolved inventory (obtained for April 10th, 2011) within the model domain results in about 58 TBq. Inventories in bed sediments are 3 orders of magnitude lower than in the water column due to the low reactivity of this radionuclide. (90)Sr/(137)Cs ratios in the ocean have also been calculated and compared with measured values, showing both spatial and temporal variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Periáñez
- Dpt Física Aplicada I, ETSIA, Universidad de Sevilla , Ctra Utrera km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
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Watabe T, Oikawa S, Isoyama N, Suzuki C, Misonoo J, Morizono S. Spatiotemporal distribution of 137Cs in the sea surrounding Japanese Islands in the decades before the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2013; 463-464:913-921. [PMID: 23872184 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/08/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The historic spatiotemporal distribution of 137Cs in the seawaters and sea-floor sediments adjacent to nuclear power plants in Japan are summarized, using data obtained over a period of time more than 20 years prior to the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. Relatively uniform distributions of 137Cs were observed both in the surface seawaters (1 m in depth) and in deeper seawaters (10 to 30 m above the seabed and ranging from tens to hundreds of meters in depth) independent of the geographical position, although lower concentrations were observed in significantly deeper bottom seawaters. Conversely, there were wide variations in 137Cs levels between sediments, such that higher 137Cs concentrations were observed in the deeper sampling locations. A mathematical model describing the successive transfer of 137Cs from surface waters through deeper waters to sediments suggested that the transfer rate of 137Cs from deep water to the sediments, and the loss rate from bottom sediments, were both greater than the transfer rate from surface water to deeper water. It was found that the calculated regression lines for 137Cs depletion rates over time for surface waters, deeper waters, and sediments were approximately parallel when plotted on a semi-logarithmic coordinate system, regardless of the sampling location. A radionuclide depletion half-life was calculated to be 4 months to 16 years with the geometric mean of 2.22 y for the sediments in the Fukushima region, suggesting that nuclear contamination will be remediated over time through sediment redistribution processes such as remobilization, bioturbation, and migration due to sea currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teruhisa Watabe
- Research and Survey Group, Head Office, Marine Ecology Research Institute, Towa Edogawabashi Bldg. 7F., Yamabuki-cho 347, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0801, Japan.
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Tateda Y, Tsumune D, Tsubono T. Simulation of radioactive cesium transfer in the southern Fukushima coastal biota using a dynamic food chain transfer model. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2013; 124:1-12. [PMID: 23639689 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2013.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2012] [Revised: 03/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F NPP) accident occurred on 11 March 2011. The accident introduced (137)Cs into the coastal waters which was subsequently transferred to the local coastal biota thereby elevating the concentration of this radionuclide in coastal organisms. In this study, the radioactive cesium levels in coastal biota from the southern Fukushima area were simulated using a dynamic biological compartment model. The simulation derived the possible maximum radioactive cesium levels in organisms, indicating that the maximum (137)Cs concentrations in invertebrates, benthic fish and predator fish occurred during late April, late May and late July, respectively in the studied area where the source was mainly the direct leakage of (137)Cs effluent from the 1F NPP. The delay of a (137)Cs increase in fish was explained by the gradual food chain transfer of (137)Cs introduced to the ecosystem from the initial contamination of the seawater. The model also provided the degree of radionuclide depuration in organisms, and it demonstrated the latest start of the decontamination phase in benthic fish. The ecological half-lives, derived both from model simulation and observation, were 1-4 months in invertebrates, and 2-9 months in plankton feeding fish and coastal predator fish from the studied area. In contrast, it was not possible to similarly calculate these parameters in benthic fish because of an unidentified additional radionuclide source which was deduced from the biological compartment model. To adequately reconstruct the in-situ depuration of radiocesium in benthic fish in the natural ecosystem, a contamination source associated with the bottom sediments is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaka Tateda
- Environmental Science Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko-shi, Chiba-ken 270-1194, Japan.
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