Abstract
The paper presents quantitative data on radiocesium wash-off (dissolved and particulate) from catchment areas after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The evaluations are conducted based on published data on radiocesium monitoring in streams in the accident zone and monitoring at standard USLE plots. The characteristics of radiocesium wash-off and its distribution coefficient in riverine waters and surface runoff are analyzed by comparing data obtained on the territories of the Fukushima and Chernobyl accidents within a few years after the accidents. The normalized radiocesium wash-off coefficients in solution for the Fukushima river catchment area are one to two orders of magnitude lower than the analogous values for the Chernobyl catchment area. The normalized wash-off coefficients of radiocesium on particulate matter in the Fukushima and Chernobyl catchment areas are comparable. However, at least twice higher mean annual precipitation and steeper slopes in the Fukushima catchment area result in a higher annual wash-off coefficient than that of the Chernobyl area. It is demonstrated that characteristics of radiocesium wash-off obtained at USLE plots can be utilized to evaluate the scales of natural catchment areas.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Y. Abe, Y. Iizawa, Y. Terada, K. Adachi, Y. Igarashi, and I. Nakai, “Detection of uranium and chemical state analysis of individual radioactive microparticles emitted from the Fukushima nuclear accident using multiple synchrotron radiation X-ray analysis,” Anal. Chem. 86, 8521–8525 (2014).
Ts. I. Bobovnikova, K. P. Makhon’ko, A. A. Siverina, F. A. Rabotnova, V. P. Gutareva, and A. A. Volokitin, “Physicochemical radionuclide species in atmospheric fallouts after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station and their transformation in soil,” At. Energiya 71 (5), 449–454 (1991).
V. A. Borzilov, A. V. Konoplev, S. K. Revina, Ts. I. Bobovnikova, P. M. Lyutik, Yu. V. Shveikin, and A. V. Shcherbak, “Experimental study of wash-off of radionuclides deposited in soil owing to the Chernobyl accident,” Meteorol. Gidrol., No. 11, 43–53 (1988).
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, 1129–1134 (2011).
J. Hilton, R. S. Cambray, and N. Green, “Chemical fractionation of radioactive caesium in airborneparticles containing bomb fallout, Chernobyl fallout and atmospheric material from Sellafield site,” J. Environ. Radioact. 15, 103–111 (1992).
K. Hirose, “2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident: summary of regional radioactive deposition monitoring results,” J. Environ. Radioact. 111, 13–17 (2012).
N. Kaneyasu, H. Ohashi, F. Suzuki, T. Okuda, and F. Ikemori, “Sulfate aerosol as a potential transport medium of radiocesium from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident”, Environ. Sci. Technol. 46, 5720–5726 (2012).
A. V. Konoplev, Extended Abstracts of Doctoral Dissertation in Biology (VNIISKhRAE, Obninsk, 1998) [in Russian].
A. V. Konoplev and A. A. Bulgakov, “Kinetics of 90Sr leaching from fuel particles in soil from the zone adjacent to the Chernobyl nuclear power station,” At. Energiya 86 (2), 129–134 (1999).
A. V. Konoplev and A. A. Bulgakov, “Transformation of 90Sr and 137Cs species in soils and bottom sediments,” At. Energiya 88 (1), 55–60 (2000).
A. V. Konoplev and I. V. Konopleva, “Characteristics of steady-state selective sorption of radiocesium on soils and bottom sediments,” Geochem. Int. 37 (2), 177–183 (1999).
A. V. Konoplev, A. A. Bulgakov, V. E. Popov, and Ts. I. Bobovnikova, “Behaviour of long–lived Chernobyl radionuclides in a soil–water system,” Analyst 117, 1041–1047 (1992).
A. V. Konoplev, A. A. Bulgakov, V. E. Popov, O. F. Popov, A. V. Scherbak, Yu. V. Shveikin, and F. O. Hoffman, “Model testing using Chernobyl data: I. Wash-off of Sr-90 and Cs-137 from two experimental plots established in the vicinity of Chernobyl reactor,” Health Physics 70 (1), 8–12 (1996).
A. V. Konoplev, G. Deville-Cavelin, O. Voitsekhovich, and O. M. Zhukova “Transfer of Chernobyl 137Cs and 90Sr by surface run-off,” Radioprotection—Colloques 37 (C1), 315–318 (2002).
A. Konoplev, K. Nanba, Y. Onda, T. Takase, Y. Wakiyama, K. Yoshimura, and M. Zheleznyak, “Mobility of accidentally released radiocesium in a “soil-water” system: looking at Fukushima from Chernobyl perspective,” in Proceedings of International Conference on radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity (ICRER 2014), Barcelona, Spain, 2014 (Barcelona, 2014). (https:// intranet. pacifico-meetingscom/amsysweb/publicacionOnline. jsf?id=146) MEXT, 2011. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Results of the Third Airborne Monitoring Survey by MEXT. (http://radioactivity. nsrgojp/en/contents/5000/4182/24/1304797_0708e. pdf.)
S. Nagao, M. Kanamori, S. Ochiai, K. Fukushi, and M. Yamamoto, “Export of 134Cs and 137Cs in the Fukushima river systems at heavy rains by Typhoon Roke in September 2011,” Biogeosciences 10, 6215–6223 (2013).
A. Nakao, S. Funakawa, A. Takeda, H. Tsukada, and T. Kosaki, “The distribution coefficient for cesium in different clay fractions in soils developed from granite and Paleozoic shales in Japan,” Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 58, 397–403 (2012).
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, 523–529 (2014).
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, 308–319 (2015).
J. T. Smith, O. V. Voitsekhovich, A. V. Konoplev, and A. V. Kudelsky, “Radioactivity in aquatic systems,” in Chernobyl Catastrophe and Consequences, Ed. by J. T. Smith and N. A. Beresford (Springer-Praxis, 2005), pp. 139–190.
J. T. Smith, S. M. Wright, M. A. Cross, L. Monte, A. V. Kudelsky, R. Saxen, S. M. Vakulovsky, and D. N. Timms, “Global analysis of the riverine transport of 90Sr and 137Cs,” Environ. Sci. Technol. 38, 850–857 (2004).
S. Ueda, H. Hasegawa, H. Kakiuchi, N. Akata, and Y. Ohtsuka, “Fluvial discharges of radiocesium from watersheds contaminated by Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant accident, Japan,” J. Environ. Radioact. 118, 96–104 (2013).
Y. Wakiyama, Y. Onda, K. Yoshimura, H. Kato, A. Konoplev, and M. Zheleznyak, “Radiocesium wash-off associated with soil erosion from various land uses after the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP accident,” Geophys. Res. Abstr. 16, EGU2014–10185 (2014).
W. H. Wischmeier and D. D. Smith, “Predicting rainfall erosion losses: a guide to observation planning,” in Agriculture Handbook No. 537 (US Department of Agriculture. Washington, DC, 1978).
K. Yoshimura, Y. Onda, and H. Kato, “Evaluation of radiocesium wash-off by soil erosion from various land uses using USLE plots,” J. Environ. Radioactivity 139, 362–369 (2015a).
K. Yoshimura, Y. Onda, A. Sakaguchi, M. Yamamoto, and Y. Matsuura, “An extensive study of the concentrations of particulate/dissolved radiocesium derived from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in various river systems and their relationship with catchment inventory,” J. Environ. Radioactivity 139, 370–378 (2015b).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © A.V. Konoplev, 2016, published in Geokhimiya, 2016, No. 6, pp. 536–542.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Konoplev, A.V. Comparative analysis of radioactive cesium wash-off from contaminated catchment areas after accidents at the Fukushima Dai-ichi and Chernobyl nuclear power plants. Geochem. Int. 54, 522–528 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702916040042
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702916040042