Low levels of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in surface seawaters around the Japanese Archipelago after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011

• INOUE MUTSUO

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• KOFUJI HISAKI

  Japan Marine Science Foundation

• NAGAO SEIYA

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• YAMAMOTO MASAYOSHI

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• HAMAJIMA YASUNORI

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• FUJIMOTO KEN

  Fisheries Research Agency, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science

• YOSHIDA KEISUKE

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• SUZUKI ATSUO

  Shizuoka Prefectural Environmental Radiation Monitoring Center

• TAKASHIRO HIDEAKI

  College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University

• HAYAKAWA KAZUICHI

  Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University

• HAMATAKA KAZUHITO

  Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University

• YOSHIDA SHOTA

  Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University

• KUNUGI MASAYUKI

  Environmental Safety Center, Tokyo University of Science

• MINAKAWA MASAYUKI

  Fisheries Research Agency, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science

Bibliographic Information

Other Title

• Low levels of 134Cs and 137Cs in surface seawaters around the Japanese Archipelago after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011
• Low levels of 134Cs and 137Cs in surface seawaters around Japanese archipelago after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident in 2011

Abstract

A total of 150 surface seawater samples were collected from around the Japanese Archipelago between July 2009 and February 2012, with sample collection peaking in July and October 2011. Low-background measurements revealed that, except for coastal and offshore areas around western Japan, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in surface waters were significantly higher than those recorded before the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, although their concentration levels were generally very low (<~0.1 to 1 mBq/L for ¹³⁴Cs). In June 2011, concentration peaks of 1 mBq/L for ¹³⁴Cs and 2.5 mBq/L for ¹³⁷Cs were recorded in the Tsugaru Strait and off western Hokkaido, toward the Japan Sea approximately 150-300 km north of the high-deposition area of Akita in northern Honshu. In October 2011, ¹³⁴Cs was detected only in the surface waters off western Hokkaido at a concentration of 0.2 mBq/L, which is markedly lower than the values observed in June 2011. These findings indicate that the observed radionuclide distributions could primarily be attributed to the atmospheric deposition of radionuclides emitted from the FDNPP and transported by ocean currents.

Journal

• GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL

  GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL 46 (4), 311-320, 2012

  GEOCHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN

Keywords

• radiocesium
• surface seawater
• water circulation
• deposition
• Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Details

• CRID: 1390282679530982528
• NII Article ID: 130004469333
• DOI: 10.2343/geochemj.2.0218
• COI: 1:CAS:528:DC%2BC38XhsleqsL3I
• ISSN: 18805973
• ISSN: 00167002
• Web Site: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/geochemj/46/4/46_2.0218/_pdf
• Text Lang: en
• Data Source:
  • JaLC
  • Crossref
  • CiNii Articles
• Abstract License Flag: Disallowed