Distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments in the Pacific 30 km off Fukushima after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident

Zheng, Jian; Aono, Tatsuo; Uchida, Shunsuke; Zhang, Jing; Honda, Makio C.

doi:10.2343/geochemj.2.0209

Cited by 61 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Although Pu and Am are more particle reactive in their geochemistry, measurements of their activities and isotopic ratios in sediments reflect atmospheric weapons testing rather than a smaller FDNPP source (Zheng et al 2012, Bu et al 2013, Wu et al 2014, Oikawa et al 2015.…”

Section: Radionuclides In Seafloor Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Zheng et al (2013) summarized studies related to the release of Pu from the FDNPPs. Ratios of FDNPP-derived 137 Cs to 239,240 Pu are 1 million or greater, based on an examination of leaf litter and soils in which isotopic ratios of Pu were used to distinguish weapons-testing-derived Pu from FDNPP-derived Pu (Zheng et al 2012, Evrard et al 2015. In total, only a relatively small amount of Pu, on the order of 1.0-2.4 × 10 9 Bq of 239,240 Pu, was released into the environment from the damaged FDNPP reactors (Zheng et al 2012).…”

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Fukushima Daiichi and The Ocean 177mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ratios of FDNPP-derived 137 Cs to 239,240 Pu are 1 million or greater, based on an examination of leaf litter and soils in which isotopic ratios of Pu were used to distinguish weapons-testing-derived Pu from FDNPP-derived Pu (Zheng et al 2012, Evrard et al 2015. In total, only a relatively small amount of Pu, on the order of 1.0-2.4 × 10 9 Bq of 239,240 Pu, was released into the environment from the damaged FDNPP reactors (Zheng et al 2012). This is consistent with the low volatility of this radionuclide and the limited explosive releases from the FDNPPs, in contrast to the CNPP, where as much as 3 × 10 13 Bq of 239,240 Pu was released .…”

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Fukushima Daiichi and The Ocean 177mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

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

Buesseler

Dai

Aoyama

et al. 2017

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

246

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: Radionuclides In Seafloor Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Fukushima Daiichi and The Ocean 177mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wwwannualreviewsorg • Fukushima Daiichi and The Ocean 177mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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

Buesseler

Dai

Aoyama

et al. 2017

Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci.

246

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thus more attention should be paid to the contamination situation of Pu isotopes in the marine environment off Fukushima since the FDNPP accident. After the FDNPP accident, several studies reported the activity levels and isotopic compositions of Pu in the marine sediments of the western North Pacific [13][14][15][16][17]. Bu et al also studied Pu distribution in seawater samples collected 30 km off the FDNPP site after the accident [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pu Distribution in Seawater in the Near Coastal Area off Fukushima after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Zheng

Aono

et al. 2015

Journal of Nuclear and Radiochemical Sciences

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The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident released large amount of radionuclides into the marine environment. Compared with the fission products, data on the distributions of Pu in the marine environment of the western North Pacific after the accident is limited. To better understand the Pu contamination in the marine environment after the accident, for the first time, we determined Pu isotope ratio ( 240 Pu/ 239 Pu) in addition to 239+240 Pu activity in seawater collected in the near coastal area (mostly within the 30 km zone) off the FDNPP site. The 239+240 Pu activities were 4.16-5.52 mBq/m 3 and the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu atom ratios varied from 0.221 to 0.295. These values were compared with the baseline data for Pu distribution in the near coast seawaters before the FDNPP accident (2008)(2009)(2010). The results suggested that there is no significant Pu contamination in seawater in the near coastal area off the FDNPP site from the accident two years after the accident.

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“…Zheng et al [ 8 ] reported Pu isotopic concentration in the surface sediments; the surface 239+240 Pu activities ranged from 0.48 to 3.53 mBq g −1 . Bu et al [ 9 ] investigated the vertical distribution of Pu isotopes in sediment cores.…”

Section: Distribution Of Pu Activities and Pu Inventoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

Zheng²,

Guo

et al. 2013

Radiation Monitoring and Dose Estimation of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

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A large amount of radionuclides was released into the atmosphere and directly discharged into the ocean as a consequence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. The possible actinides, especially plutonium contamination in the ocean from the nuclear accident, attracted general public and scientifi c concern. In this review, we summarize studies of the distribution of Pu isotopes in the marine sediments off Japan before and after the FDNPP accident to assess possible Pu contamination from the nuclear accident. Our results suggested that there was no detectable additional Pu injection from the FDNPP accident in the marine environment 30 km off the FDNPP 1 year after the accident. The detectable Pu isotopes originated from global fallout and the Pacifi c Proving Ground close-in fallout. Keywords FDNPP • Marine sediments • Plutonium isotopes IntroductionOn March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) was hit and damaged by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the Northwest Pacifi c about 130 km off the northeast coast of Japan and the following gigantic tsunami. As a result, large amounts of radionuclides were released into the atmosphere and directly discharged into the sea. More than 70 % of the released radionuclides were deposited over the North Pacifi c Ocean [ 1 ]. Studies concerning the fi ssion products, such as 131 I and radiocesium, were carried out intensively after the nuclear accident. However, information about actinides, especially the plutonium (Pu) isotopes, is limited.Pu isotopes are of public and scientifi c interest because they are characterized by radiotoxicity and strong chemical toxicity. They contribute much to the longterm dose for humans because of their relatively long half-lives ( 238 Pu, 87.7 years; 239 Pu, 24,110 years; 240 Pu, 6,561 years; 241 Pu, 14.4 years) . Investigating the characterization of Pu isotopes in marine sediments is important for purposes of environmental monitoring and radiotoxicity assessment. Moreover, Pu isotopes are considered as new geochemical tracers for the study of oceanic processes, such as sedimentation and particle scavenging, and the isotopic composition of Pu ( 240 Pu/ 239 Pu) has been used as an important fi ngerprint for environmental radioactive source identifi cation [ 2 -5 ].Abnormal atom ratios of 240 Pu/ 239 Pu and 241 Pu/ 239 Pu, and activity ratios of 241 Pu/ 239+240 Pu and 238 Pu/ 239+240 Pu, have been reported in surface soil and litter samples in the 20-to 30-km zone around the FDNPP [ 6 , 7 ], suggesting the atmospheric release of Pu isotopes from the nuclear accident. For the marine environment, in previous studies [ 8 , 9 ] we investigated the distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments collected in the Pacifi c Ocean, 30 km off the FDNPP site, from July 2011 to July 2012 after the nuclear accident. Sakaguchi et al. [ 10 ] determined Pu concentration in seawaters in the Pacifi c, 50 km off the FDNPP, and they observed no significant amount of extra components from the nuclear accident...

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Distribution of Pu isotopes in marine sediments in the Pacific 30 km off Fukushima after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident

Cited by 61 publications

References 52 publications

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

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

Pu Distribution in Seawater in the Near Coastal Area off Fukushima after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident

Distribution of Plutonium Isotopes in Marine Sediments off Japan Before and After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: A Review

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