Abstract
The paper is concerned with the results of 137Cs monitoring in the irrigation ponds of the Okuma town in the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) exclusion zone. The 137Cs activity concentrations in the ponds appeared to be higher than those in the rivers and dam reservoirs in the region. The study has revealed a trend for a decline in 137Cs activity concentrations, both particulate and dissolved. The rate of particulate 137Cs decline was much higher than that of dissolved. The total distribution coefficient \(K_\mathrm{d}(^{137}\mathrm{Cs}\)) in the suspended sediment–water system in the studied ponds was decreasing in time with the rate constant of 0.12–0.18 year–1. Assuming that the decrease in \(K_\mathrm{d}\) is associated with decomposition of hot glassy particles, the time scale of 137Cs leaching from them in these water bodies was estimated to be 5–8 years. These estimates are consistent with the findings of recent laboratory experiments on the subject. With respect to seasonal variations, the highest levels of dissolved 137Cs in the studied ponds were observed from June to October as a function of specific pond and monitoring year. Based on data about 137Cs speciation in the bottom sediment top layer of the ponds and its distribution in the sediment–water system, the exchangeable radiocesium interception potential \(\mathit{RIP}^\mathrm{ex}(K)\) for the ponds sediments was estimated to be 1650–2250 mg-eq/kg, which is within the range of values measured by laboratory studies.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
A V. Konoplev, “Distribution of Radiocesium of Accidental Origin between the Suspended Matter and Solution in Rivers: Comparison of Fukushima and Chernobyl” Radiochemistry, No. 5, 57 (2015).
A. V. Konoplev and A. A. Bulgakov, “90Sr and 137Cs Exchange Distribution Coefficient in Soil–Water Systems,” Atomic Energy, No. 2, 88 (2000).
A. V. Konoplev, A. A. Bulgakov, V. G. Zhirnov, Ts. I. Bobovnikova, I. V. Kutnyakov, A. A. Siverina, V. E. Popov, and E. P. Virchenko, “Study of the 137Cs and 90Sr Behavior in Lakes Svyatoe and Kozhanovskoe, Bryansk Region,” Meteorol. Gidrol., No. 11 (1998) [Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol., No. 11 (1998)]
A. V. Konoplev, Y. Wakiyama, T. Wada, V. N. Golosov, K. Nanba, and T. Takase, “Radiocesium in Ponds in the Near Zone of Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP,” Water Res., No. 4, 45 (2018).
A. V. Konoplev and I. V. Konopleva, “Characteristics of Steady-state Selective Sorption of Radiocesium on Soils and Floor Sediments,” Geochemistry International, No. 2, 37 (1999).
A. V. Konoplev, L. P. Kopylova, Ts. I. Bobovnikova, A. A. Bulgakov, and A. A. Siverina, “Distribution of 90Sr and 137Cs within the System of Bottom Sediments–Water of the Reservoir in the Areas Adjacent to the Chernobyl NPP,” Sov. Meteorol. Hydrol., No. 1 (1992) [in Russian].
I. Byrnes, Radiocesium Dynamics in Irrigation Ponds in Okuma, Japan, Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2017).
M. Carradine, Vertical Distribution of Radiocesium in Soil Deposits on the Contaminated Areas after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Aqccident, Thesis for the Degree of Master of Science (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 2017).
M. Chino, H. Nakayama, H. Nagai, H. Terada, G. Katata, and H. Yamazawa, “Preliminary Estimation of Release Amounts of 131I and 137Cs Accidentally Discharged from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Atmosphere” J. Nucl. Sci. Technol., 48 (2011).
R. N. J. Comans, J. J. Middelburg, J. Zonderhuis, J. R. W. Woittiez, G. J. De Lange, H. A. Das, and C. H. Van der Weijden, “Mobilization of Radiocaesium in Pore Water of Lake Sediments,” Nature, 339 (1989).
T. Fukushima and H. Arai, “Radiocesium Contamination of Lake Sediments and Fish Following the Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Their Partition Coefficient,” Inland Waters, 4 (2014).
K. Hirose, “2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: Summary of Regional Radioactive Deposition Monitoring Results,” J. Environ. Radioact., 111 (2012).
Y. Igarashi, T. Kogure, Y. Kurihara, H. Miura, T. Okumura, Y. Satou, Y. Takahashi, and N. Yamaguchi,” A Review of Cs-bearing Microparticles in the Environment Emitted by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident,” J. Environ. Radioact., 205–206 (2019).
R. Ikehara, M. Suetake, T. Komiya, G. Furuki, A. Ochiai, S. Yamasaki, W. R. Bower, G. T. W. Law, T. Ohnuki, B. Grambow, R. C. Ewing, and S. Utsunomiya, “Novel Method of Quantifying Cesium-rich Microparticles (CsMPs) in the Environment from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” Environ. Sci. Technol., 52 (2018).
A. Konoplev, “Mobility and Bioavailability of Chernobyl-derived Radionuclides in Soil-water Environment: Review,” in Behavior of Radionuclides in the Environment II: Chernobyl, Ed. by A. Konoplev, K. Kato, and S. N. Kalmykov (SPRINGER Nature, 2020).
A. Konoplev, S. Kaminski, E. Klemt, I. Konopleva, R. Miller, and G. Zibold, “Comparative Study of 137Cs Partitioning between Solid and Liquid Phases in Lakes Constance, Lugano, and Vorsee,” J. Environ. Radioact., 58 (2002).
A. Nakao, S. Ogasawara, O. Sano, T. Ito, and J. Yanai, “Radiocesium Sorption in Relation to Clay Mineralogy of Paddy Soils in Fukushima, Japan,” Sci. Total Environ., 468–469 (2014).
MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan). Results of the (i) Fifth Airborne Monitoring Survey and (ii) Airborne Monitoring Survey Outside 80 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP (Tokyo, 2012) (http://radioactivity.nsr.go.jp/en/contents/6000/5790/24/ 203_0928 14e.pdf).
T. Okumura, N. Yamaguchi, T. Dohi, K. Iijima, and T. Kogure, “Dissolution Behavior of Radiocesium-bearing Microparticles Released from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant,” Sci. Reports, 9 (2019).
K. Saito, I. Tanihata, M. Fujiwara, T. Saito, S. Shimoura, T. Otsuka, Y. Onda, M. Hoshi, Y. Ikeuchi, F. Takahashi, N. Kinouchi, J. Saegusa, H. Takemiya, and T. Shibata, “Detailed Deposition Density Maps Constructed by Large Scale Soil Sampling for Gamma-ray Emitting Radioactive Nuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident,” J. Environ. Radioact., 139 (2015).
Y. Wakiyama, A. Konoplev, T. Wada, T. Takase, I. Byrnes, M. Carradine, and K. Nanba, “Behavior of 137Cs in Ponds in the Vicinity of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant,” J. Environ. Radioact., 178–179 (2017)
Y. Wakiyama, A. Konoplev, T. Wada, T. Takase, Y. Igarashi, K. Nanba, and I. Byrnes, “Temporal Trends of 137Cs Activity Concentration in Pond Waters in the Vicinity of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant,” Proc. IAHS, 381 (2019).
N. Yamaguchi, H. Tsukada, K. Kohyama, Y. Takata, A. Takeda, S. Isono, and I. Taniyama, “Radiocesium Interception Potential of Agricultural Soils in Northeast Japan,” Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., No. 2, 63 (2017).
N. Yoshikawa, H. Obara, M. Ogasa, S. Miyazu, N. Harada, and M. Nonaka, “ 137Cs in Irrigation Water and Its Effect on Paddy Fields in Japan after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident,” Sci. Total Environ., 481 (2014).
K. Yoshimura, Y. Onda, A. Sakaguchi, M. Yamamoto, and Y. Matsuura, “An Extensive Study of the Concentrations of Particulate/Dissolved Radiocaesium Derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Various River Systems and Their Relationship with Catchment Inventory,” J. Environ. Radioact., 139 (2015).
M. Yoshimura and T. Yokoduka, “Radioactive Contamination of Fishes in Lake and Streams Impacted by the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident,” Sci. Total Environ., 482–483 (2014).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Translated from Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya, 2021, No. 5, pp. 38-45. https://doi.org/10.52002/0130-2906-2021-5-38-45.
About this article
Cite this article
Konoplev, A.V., Wakiyama, Y., Wada, T. et al. Transformation of Radiocesium Speciation in Ponds at the Vicinity of Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant and Dynamics of Its Distribution in Sediment–Water System. Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol. 46, 312–318 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373921050058
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373921050058