Meridional distribution of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in surface seawater along a trans-Pacific line from the Arctic to Antarctic Oceans in summer 2012

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry volume 307, pages1703–1710(2016)Cite this article

Abstract

In summer 2012, we measured activity concentration of radiocesium in surface seawater collected in the Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, western Pacific Ocean, and Antarctic Ocean. The radiocesium derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 was found in the Bering Sea and western North Pacific between 25°N and 63°N, which agrees with model simulation results of atmospheric deposition. A semi-synoptic view suggests that a main body of radiocesium discharged directly had been transported eastward to 170°W, northward to 50°N, and southward to 30°N by summer 2012, about one and half years after the accident.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the crew of the R/V Mirai and the staff of Marine Works Japan, Ltd. for their help during onboard sample collection. I would like to thank Dr. V. Ramzaev for his careful review, which resulted in improvement of this manuscript. This work was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (KAKENHI), Interdisciplinary Study on Environmental Transfer of Radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP Accident (#24110004).

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Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Center for Global Change, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15 Natushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan

    Yuichiro Kumamoto, Shigeto Nishino, Akihiko Murata & Takashi Kikuchi

  2. Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1-1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan

    Michio Aoyama

  3. Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Wake, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1224, Japan

    Yasunori Hamajima

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  1. Yuichiro Kumamoto
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  2. Michio Aoyama
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  3. Yasunori Hamajima
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  4. Shigeto Nishino
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  5. Akihiko Murata
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  6. Takashi Kikuchi
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Correspondence to Yuichiro Kumamoto.

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Kumamoto, Y., Aoyama, M., Hamajima, Y. et al. Meridional distribution of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in surface seawater along a trans-Pacific line from the Arctic to Antarctic Oceans in summer 2012. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 307, 1703–1710 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-015-4439-0

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Keywords

  • Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
  • Radiocesium
  • Arctic Ocean
  • Bering Sea
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Antarctic Ocean