90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu concentration surface water time series in the Pacific and Indian Oceans – WOMARS results

Povinec, P.; Aarkrog, A.; Buesseler, Ken O.; Delfanti, Roberta; Hirose, Katsumi; Hong, Gi Hoon; Ito, Toshimichi; Livingston, Hugh D.; Nies, H.; Noshkin, V.E.; Shima, Shigeki; Togawa, Orihiko

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.12.003

Cited by 137 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Higher 137 Cs concentrations in surface water occurred in the 1980s, probably due to liquid radioactive discharges from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Tokai, which were, however, by several orders of magnitude lower than releases from the European reprocessing plants (Mizutani et al, 2009). By combining all 137 Cs data, the mean effective half-life of 137 Cs in North Pacific surface waters was estimated to be 13 ± 1 yr (Povinec et al, 2005a).…”

Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The major deposition of 137 Cs occurred in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, and specifically in the NW Pacific Ocean where large wet depositions were observed (Aoyama et al, 2006). The NW Pacific Ocean has therefore been well known as the area with the highest deposition of global fallout radionuclides into the ocean (Povinec et al, 2005a;Inomata et al, 2009).…”

Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fortunately, the pre-Fukushima 137 Cs concentrations in NW Pacific waters were well established (Povinec et al, 2005a;Aoyama et al, 2006). Two marine radioactivity databases were developed: one at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Environment Laboratories in Monaco (the GLOMARD/MARIS database; Povinec et al, 2004Povinec et al, , 2012b and the second one at the Meteorological Research Institute 5484 P. P. Povinec et al: Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters in Tsukuba (the HAM database; Aoyama and Hirose, 2004 Fig.…”

Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tritium distribution in the NW Pacific Ocean was investigated recently in the framework of the WOMARS (Worldwide Marine Radioactivity Studies) project, carried out by IAEA during 1995(Povinec et al, 2004, 2005a. The most comprehensive study was, however, the WOCE (World Ocean Circulation Experiment) program conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, which represents the most extensive coverage of 3 H in the world ocean (www.eWOCE.org).…”

Section: Tritiummentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Radionuclide impact of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident on the distribution of radionuclides in seawater of the NW Pacific Ocean is compared with global fallout from atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons. Surface and water column samples collected during the Ka'imikai-o-Kanaloa (KOK) international expedition carried out in June 2011 were analyzed for 134Cs, 137Cs, 129I and 3H. The 137Cs, 129I and 3H levels in surface seawater offshore Fukushima varied between 0.002–3.5 Bq L−1, 0.01–0.8 μBq L−1, and 0.05–0.15 Bq L−1, respectively. At the sampling site about 40 km from the coast, where all three radionuclides were analyzed, the Fukushima impact on the levels of these three radionuclides represents an increase above the global fallout background by factors of about 1000, 50 and 3, respectively. The water column data indicate that the transport of Fukushima-derived radionuclides downward to the depth of 300 m has already occurred. The observed 137Cs levels in surface waters and in the water column are compared with predictions obtained from the ocean general circulation model, which indicates that the Kuroshio Current acts as a southern boundary for the transport of the radionuclides, which have been transported from the Fukushima coast eastward in the NW Pacific Ocean. The 137Cs inventory in the water column is estimated to be about 2.2 PBq, what can be regarded as a lower limit of the direct liquid discharges into the sea as the seawater sampling was carried out only in the area from 34 to 37° N, and from 142 to 147° E. About 4.6 GBq of 129I was deposited in the NW Pacific Ocean, and 2.4–7 GBq of 129I was directly discharged as liquid wastes into the sea offshore Fukushima. The total amount of 3H released and deposited over the NW Pacific Ocean was estimated to be 0.1–0.5 PBq. These estimations depend, however, on the evaluation of the total 137Cs activities released as liquid wastes directly into the sea, which should improve when more data are available. Due to a suitable residence time in the ocean, Fukushima-derived radionuclides will provide useful tracers for isotope oceanography studies on the transport of water masses during the next decades in the NW Pacific Ocean.

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Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cesium-137mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tritiummentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

et al. 2013

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“…The estimates for 2011 were made based on measurements from neighboring areas (Povinec et al, 2005) and an effective half-life of 11-24 yr. This effective half-life integrates cesium removal from the surface ocean by radioactive decay and lateral and vertical removal processes (e.g., Hirose and Aoyama, 2003b;Povinec et al, 2005). Based on these removal rates, the estimated 137 Cs activity range in 2011 was 0.9-2.4 Bq m −3 for the entire North Pacific.…”

Section: Preexisting 137 Cs Levels In the Surface North Pacificmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Surface seawater 134 Cs and 137 Cs samples were collected in the central and western North Pacific Ocean during the 2 yr after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to monitor dispersion patterns of these radioisotopes towards the Hawaiian Islands. In the absence of other recent sources and due to its short half-life, only those parts of the Pacific Ocean would have detectable 134 Cs values that were impacted by Fukushima releases. Between March and May 2011, 134 Cs was not detected around the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Here, most 137 Cs activities (1.2-1.5 Bq m −3 ) were in the range of expected preexisting levels. Some samples north of the Hawaiian Islands (1.6-1.8 Bq m −3 ) were elevated above the 23-month baseline established in surface seawater in Hawaii indicating that those might carry atmospheric fallout. The 23-month time-series analysis of surface seawater from Hawaii did not reveal any seasonal variability or trends, with an average activity of 1.46 ± 0.06 Bq m −3 (Station Aloha, 18 values). In contrast, samples collected between Japan and Hawaii contained 134 Cs activities in the range of 1-4 Bq m −3 , and 137 Cs levels were about 2-3 times above the preexisting activities. We found that the southern boundary of the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents represented a boundary for radiation dispersion with higher activities detected within and north of the major currents. The radiation plume has not been detected over the past 2 yr at the main Hawaiian Islands due to the transport patterns across the Kuroshio and Kuroshio extension currents.

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IndianOcean: Radionuclides

Povinec

2005

Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry

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The distribution of global fallout radionuclides in Indian Ocean waters about four decades after their main injection from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests on the ocean surface is discussed. Recent data obtained in the framework of the WOMARS (Worldwide Marine Radioactivity Studies) and SHOTS (Southern Hemisphere Ocean Tracer Studies) projects are evaluated and compared with previous investigations carried out in the northern and southern Indian Ocean. The results indicate transport of surface waters labeled with radionuclides from the Mediterranean Sea, as well as from the Northwestern Pacific through the Indonesian Seas to the Indian Ocean. After passing the equator the waters circulate in the South Indian Ocean subtropical gyre, which accumulates radionuclide tracers and other contaminants on timescales of decades. This accumulation of contaminants in the Southern Indian Ocean is of environmental importance for the protection of the marine environment from land‐based contamination sources.

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90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu concentration surface water time series in the Pacific and Indian Oceans – WOMARS results

Cited by 137 publications

References 33 publications

Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout

Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

IndianOcean: Radionuclides

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