Dispersion of artificial caesium-134 and -137 in the western North Pacific one month after the Fukushima accident

• HONDA MAKIO C.

  Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• AONO TATSUO

  Research Center for Radiation Protection, National Institute of Radiological Sciences

• AOYAMA MICHIO

  Geochemical Research Department, Meteorological Research Institute

• HAMAJIMA YASUNORI

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University

• KAWAKAMI HAJIME

  Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• KITAMURA MINORU

  Institute of Biogeoscience, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• MASUMOTO YUKIO

  Research Institute of Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• MIYAZAWA YASUMASA

  Research Institute of Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• TAKIGAWA MASAYUKI

  Research Institute of Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

• SAINO TOSHIRO

  Research Institute for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• Dispersion of artificial caesium-134 and −137 in the western North Pacific one month after the Fukushima accident
• Dispersion of artificial cesium-134 and -137 in the western North Pacific one month after the Fukushima accident

Abstract

In March 2011, an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FNPP-AC) was caused by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Here we show the distribution of artificial caesium-134 and -137 (¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) in the western North Pacific one month after the FNPP-AC. In surface seawater, ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were from several times to two orders of magnitude higher than before the FNPP-AC. ¹³⁴Cs was also detected, and in many seawater samples the ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs ratio was about 1. These findings indicate that radionuclides from the FNPP dispersed quickly in the western North Pacific. ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in suspended solids and zooplankton at stations K2 and S1 were also one to two orders higher than before the accident. Numerical simulation results show that the higher caesium observed in the western North Pacific one month after the FNPP-AC was transported not only by diffusion and advection of seawater but also via the atmosphere as an aerosol.

Journal

• GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL

  GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL 46 (1), e1-e9, 2012

  GEOCHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN

Keywords

• Fukushima
• caesium
• western North Pacific
• zooplankton
• suspended solids

Details

• CRID: 1390001204553614976
• NII Article ID: 10031146304
• NII Book ID: AA00654975
• DOI: 10.2343/geochemj.1.0152
• ISSN: 18805973
• ISSN: 00167002
• ISSN: http://id.crossref.org/issn/00167002
• NDL BIB ID: 024183954
• Web Site: https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R000000004-I024183954
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • NDL
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed