Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity

Buesseler, Ken O.

doi:10.5670/oceanog.2014.02

Cited by 82 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Unlike the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (CNPP) (Ukraine) accident that occurred 25 years earlier and breached the core of the reactor, the FDNPP releases were considerably smaller and comprised more-volatile radionuclides and gases, such as the radioisotopes 134 Cs (half-life of 2.06 years) and 137 Cs (half-life of 30.2 years). The magnitude of the total release of 137 Cs from the FDNPPs (detailed below) is approximately 50 times smaller than that of global fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing (which peaked in the early 1960s) and approximately 5 times smaller than that of the CNPP accident, and is similar to that resulting from intentional discharges from the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (Cumbria, England) (Buesseler 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Buesseler

Dai

Aoyama

et al. 2017

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

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235

122

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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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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Buesseler

Dai

Aoyama

et al. 2017

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

Self Cite

235

122

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“…Given the prevailing winds at the time of accident only 20% of the atmospheric fallout is estimated to have fallen on land with the majority of the remainder deposited to the North Pacific [Morino et al, 2011]. Contaminated waters were transported far into the Pacific Ocean by currents causing a great dispersion of the radioactive elements [Buesseler, 2014].…”

Section: Map 2 Tsunami Flooded Areas Of Sendai Photo 1 Fukushima Damentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake Six Years Later

Bachev¹,

Ito

2017

SSRN Journal

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On March 11, 2011 the strongest ever recorded in Japan earthquake occurred, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, which triggered a powerful tsunami and caused a nuclear accident in one of the world biggest nuclear power stations -Fukushima Daichi. More than six years after the triple disaster the overall impacts on Japanese agri-food chains is far from being completely due to the scale of the disasters and the number of affected agents, the effects' multiplicities, spillovers, and long time horizon, the constant evolution of the nuclear crisis, the lack of "full" information and models of analysis, etc. This paper presents updates on the impacts of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan on country's agriculture and food sector. First, disaster events and their effects is outlined. Second, impact on farms and agricultural resources is estimated. Third, impact on food industries is assessed. Next, extend of radioactive contamination of agri-food products is presented and effects on markets, consumers and international trade evaluated. Chapter summarises responses of different agents, assesses progress and challenges in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, and withdraw lessons from the Japanese experiences.

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“…Indeed, FNPP is located in an area where the east-flowing Kuroshio current and the southwest-flowing Oyashio current mix, generating complicated nearshore currents and mesoscale eddies (Buesseler, 2014), thereby favoring dispersion, regeneration, and thus dilution, of the contaminated planktonic populations in the area.…”

Section: Belharet Et Al: Ecosystem Model-based Approach For Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem model-based approach for modeling the dynamics of <sup>137</sup>Cs transfer to marine plankton populations: application to the western North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

2016

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Abstract. Huge amounts of radionuclides, especially 137 Cs, were released into the western North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear power plant (FNPP) accident that occurred on 11 March 2011, resulting in contamination of the marine biota. In this study we developed a radioecological model to estimate 137 Cs concentrations in phytoplankton and zooplankton populations representing the lower levels of the pelagic trophic chain. We coupled this model to a lower trophic level ecosystem model and an ocean circulation model to take into account the site-specific environmental conditions in the area. The different radioecological parameters of the model were estimated by calibration, and a sensitivity analysis to parameter uncertainties was carried out, showing a high sensitivity of the model results, especially to the 137 Cs concentration in seawater, to the rates of accumulation from water and to the radionuclide assimilation efficiency for zooplankton. The results of the 137 Cs concentrations in planktonic populations simulated in this study were then validated through comparison with the data available in the region after the accident. The model results have shown that the maximum concentrations in plankton after the accident were about 2 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than those observed before the accident, depending on the distance from FNPP. Finally, the maximum 137 Cs absorbed dose rate for phyto-and zooplankton populations was estimated to be about 5 × 10 −2 µGy h −1 , and was, therefore, lower than the predicted no-effect dose rate (PNEDR) value of 10 µGy h −1 defined in the ERICA assessment approach.

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Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity

Cited by 82 publications

References 19 publications

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Agricultural Impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake Six Years Later

Ecosystem model-based approach for modeling the dynamics of <sup>137</sup>Cs transfer to marine plankton populations: application to the western North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

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Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity

Cited by 82 publications

References 19 publications

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Fukushima Daiichi–Derived Radionuclides in the Ocean: Transport, Fate, and Impacts

Agricultural Impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake Six Years Later

Ecosystem model-based approach for modeling the dynamics of &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs transfer to marine plankton populations: application to the western North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

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Resources

About

Ecosystem model-based approach for modeling the dynamics of <sup>137</sup>Cs transfer to marine plankton populations: application to the western North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident