Deposition of radiocesium on the river flood plains around Fukushima

Saegusa, Hiromitsu; Ohyama, T.; Iijima, Kazuki; Onoe, Hironori; Takeuchi, Ryuji; Hagiwara, Hiroki

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.04.020

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The authors concluded that the redistribution of soil within the paddy fields may decrease the effectiveness of decontamination. A lack of replicates was outlined by the authors and prevented them from finally reaching a conclusion on the effectiveness of surface removal for decontamination (Sakai et al, 2014a). In contrast, Kurokawa et al (2019) observed an 80 % decrease in 137 Cs activities in the ploughed layer after decontamination in cultivated land of Tomioka town, showing the efficiency of this remediation strategy.…”

Section: Soil and Farmland Decontamination And Soil To Plant Transfersmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Accordingly, given the low efficiency of phytoextraction, the main remediation strategy consists of removing the surface layer of soils with the majority of radiocesium. The effectiveness of this strategy was examined by Sakai et al (2014a) in Kawamata town. Approximately 5-10 cm of the surface soil was removed from one rice paddy by heavy machinery, whereas a nearby paddy field was not decontaminated and used as control plot.…”

Section: Soil and Farmland Decontamination And Soil To Plant Transfersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Riverside parks and playgrounds are popular across Japan. Sediment containing high quantities of radionuclides may also accumulate near these parks and playgrounds in river channels and floodplains following flooding events (Saegusa et al, 2016). However, sediment deposition is highly heterogeneous both horizontally and vertically across floodplains.…”

Section: River Channel Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Evrard

Laceby

Nakao

2019

SOIL

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The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in March 2011 resulted in the contamination of Japanese landscapes with radioactive fallout. Accordingly, the Japanese authorities decided to conduct extensive remediation activities in the impacted region to allow for the relatively rapid return of the local population. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the decontamination strategies and their potential effectiveness in Japan, focussing on particle-bound radiocesium. In the Fukushima Prefecture, the decision was taken to decontaminate the fallout-impacted landscapes in November 2011 for the 11 municipalities evacuated after the accident (Special Decontamination Zone -SDZ -1117 km 2 ) and for the 40 non-evacuated municipalities affected by lower, although still significant, levels of radioactivity (Intensive Contamination Survey Areas, 7836 km 2 ). Decontamination activities predominantly targeted agricultural landscapes and residential areas. No decontamination activities are currently planned for the majority of forested areas, which cover ∼ 75 % of the main fallout-impacted region. Research investigating the effectiveness of decontamination activities underlined the need to undertake concerted actions at the catchment scale to avoid renewed contamination from the catchment headwaters after the completion of remediation activities. Although the impact of decontamination on the radioactive dose rates for the local population remains a subject of debate in the literature and in the local communities, outdoor workers in the SDZ represent a group of the local population that may exceed the long-term dosimetric target of 1 mSv yr −1 . Decontamination activities generated ∼ 20 million m 3 of soil waste by early 2019. The volume of waste generated by decontamination may be decreased through incineration of combustible material and recycling of the less contaminated soil for civil engineering structures. However, most of this material will have to be stored for ∼ 30 years at interim facilities opened in 2017 in the vicinity of the FDNPP before being potentially transported to final disposal sites outside of the Fukushima Prefecture. Further research is required to investigate the perennial contribution of radiocesium from forest sources. In addition, the re-cultivation of farmland after decontamination raises additional questions associated with the fertility of remediated soils and the potential transfer of residual radiocesium to the plants. Overall, we believe it is important to synthesise the remediation lessons learnt following the FDNPP nuclear accident, which could be fundamental if a similar catastrophe occurs somewhere on Earth in the future.

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Section: Soil and Farmland Decontamination And Soil To Plant Transfersmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Soil and Farmland Decontamination And Soil To Plant Transfersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: River Channel Decontaminationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Evrard

Laceby

Nakao

2019

SOIL

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“…Iwasaki et al [15] performed simulation calculations of sediment transfer on the Abukuma River and showed an accumulation of 137 Cs over floodplains, suggesting that 137 Cs supplied from upstream by the washload would mostly reach the ocean directly. Saegusa et al [16] performed detailed investigations of radiocesium deposition along the Odaka and the Ukedo Rivers. They reported high radiocesium concentrations over the floodplains and proposed a mechanism for 137 Cs transport and deposition.…”

Section: Transport Of Radiocesium Along a Rivermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Iwasaki et al [15] conducted numerical simulations of radiocesium distributions in the Abukuma river systems. Saegusa et al [16] studied deposition of radiocesium on the floodplains along two rivers (Ukedo and Odaka Rivers) in Fukushima. Iwagami et al [17] measured temporal changes of dissolved 137 Cs concentrations in groundwater and stream water in Yamakiya District in Fukushima.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Monitoring of Radiocesium Concentration in Sediments and River Water along Five Rivers in Minami-Soma City during 2012–2016 Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Shizuma

Nursal

Sakurai³

2018

Applied Sciences

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Radiocesium monitoring in sediments and river water has been conducted along five rivers in Minami-Soma City during 2012–2016 to clarify the temporal changes of radiocesium contamination in these rivers. Sampling has been performed annually under normal flow conditions. Sediment and river water samples were collected from four or five sampling sites along each river. Gamma-ray measurements of sediments were performed using a low-background Ge detector and unfiltered river water was utilized to determine radiocesium concentration using a well-type Ge detector. The 137Cs concentration in sediments was highest at upstream sites and slowly decreased to downstream sites for all rivers reflecting the high radioactive contamination in the upstream area. Temporal decrease of the 137Cs concentration was observed in sediments and river water for each river. The effective half-lives were 1.3–2.1 y for sediments, and 0.9–2.1 y for river water from rivers with upstream dams. On the undammed river, the effective half-lives were 4.7 y and 3.7 y for sediment and river water, respectively. Much longer effective-half-lives might reflect the direct transfer of radiocesium from forests and plains to the river. The 137Cs concentration in riverbed was low in downstream areas, however, accumulation of 137Cs over the floodplain was observed. Rapid decrease of 137Cs contamination through rivers will put residents at ease, but high accumulation of radiocesium over floodplains should be noted for future river decontamination.

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The Importance of Tokyo Bay as a Reservoir for Radioactive Materials Precipitated in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Yamazaki

2020

Radioactive Contamination of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

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Deposition of radiocesium on the river flood plains around Fukushima

Cited by 15 publications

References 6 publications

Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Effectiveness of landscape decontamination following the Fukushima nuclear accident: a review

Long-Term Monitoring of Radiocesium Concentration in Sediments and River Water along Five Rivers in Minami-Soma City during 2012–2016 Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

The Importance of Tokyo Bay as a Reservoir for Radioactive Materials Precipitated in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

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