Radiocesium transfer from hillslopes to the Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident: A review

Effects of Large-Scale Wildfires on the Redistribution of Radionuclides in the Chornobyl River System

Wildfires in radiologically contaminated areas raise significant concerns due to potential radionuclides redistribution and increased public radiation exposure. This study examined the impact of the 2020 Chornobyl wildfire on the redistribution of radionuclides, specifically 137Cs and 90Sr, in the Chornobyl River system. We determined the quantities and speciation of 137Cs and 90Sr in charred residues and soil after wildfires and analyzed the riverine concentrations of these radionuclides based on long-term monitoring data. Our findings indicate that the inventories of 137Cs and 90Sr in the charred residues and soil decreased with increasing distance from the nuclear power plant, which is consistent with the initial deposition patterns. However, the transfer of 137Cs and 90Sr from soil to charred residues did not correspond to the distance, type of contamination source, or fire type. Speciation analysis revealed that the water-soluble fractions of 137Cs and 90Sr in the charred residues were significantly higher than those in the soil, implying increased mobility. Following the wildfires, no significant increase in 137Cs concentration was observed in a river catchment in Chornobyl. However, 90Sr concentrations showed a significant increase, exceeding the permissible levels in drinking water (2 Bq/L) in Ukraine. This increase is attributed to hydrologically driven mobilization processes: (1) during snowmelt in spring and (2) the transport of soluble 90Sr from charred residues and surface soil into the river during high suspended solid concentration events. Collectively, our findings highlight the importance of continuous monitoring of radionuclide dynamics in postwildfire environments to better assess potential radionuclide redistribution and radiation exposure risks. These results provide valuable insights into the behavior of 137Cs and 90Sr in river systems affected by wildfires, contributing to a more accurate understanding of their environmental impacts and potential countermeasures.

Impacts of vertical variations in soil properties on H*(10) simulations for 137Cs deposition

Photon transport simulations based on the Monte Carlo method have played a crucial role in assessing and estimating the ambient dose equivalent rates H*(10), resulting from the deposition of 137Cs in soil following the nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima. However, a comprehensive examination of the effect of vertical variations in soil properties on the simulation outcomes has not yet been performed. Disregarding the vertical distribution of soil properties not only leads to potential inaccuracies in the shielding responses of soil layers but also in the determination of the radioactive source inventory, particularly when using the concentration data in Bq/kg. These oversights diminish the reliability of the simulation results. This study addresses several soil property factors that could potentially influence the simulation results, including variations in chemical composition induced by water content, bulk density profile, and estimated inventory profile, all evaluated through an examined simulation model. The results show that inappropriate assignment of the soil density profile can cause considerable errors in the H*(10) simulation outcomes. Furthermore, the sensitivity of H*(10) to variations in soil vertical density is analyzed, with the results indicating that H*(10) can be highly sensitive to changes in the bulk density of the top 0-5 cm soil layers. These results should facilitate the establishment of appropriate simulation strategies and support the reassessment of past simulation results.

Impacts of farmland decontamination on 137Cs transfers in rivers after Fukushima nuclear accident: Evidence from a retrospective sediment core study

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in March 2011, the Japanese government initiated an unprecedented decontamination programme to remediate 137Cs-contaminated soils and allow population return. This programme involved the removal of topsoil under farmland and residential land, and its replacement with "fresh soil" composed of granitic saprolite. However, decontamination was limited to these two land uses, without remediating forests, which cover 70 % of the surface area in the affected region. In this unprecedented context, the specific impact of this unique decontamination programme on 137Cs transfers in river systems remains to be quantified at the catchment scale. In this study, based on the analysis of a sediment core collected in June 2021 in the Mano Dam reservoir draining a decontaminated catchment, the effects of soil decontamination on particle-bound 137Cs dynamics and sediment source contributions in response to a succession of extreme precipitation events were retrospectively assessed. The sequence of sediment layer deposition and its chronology were reconstructed through the analysis of several diagnostic properties (organic matter, elemental geochemistry, visible colourimetry, granulometry) and contextual information. During abandonment (2011-2016), cropland contribution decreased (31 %). Concurrently, 137Cs activity and deposition flux decreased (19 and 29%year-1, respectively). Following decontamination (2017), sediment transfer increased (270 %) in response to increased contributions from decontaminated cropland and "fresh soil" (625 % and 180 % respectively). Meanwhile, forest contributions remained stable. In contrast, 137Cs activity dropped (65 %), although 137Cs deposition flux remained constant. Forests acted as a stable source of 137Cs. Accordingly, 137Cs deposition flux after decontamination (2016-2021) was similar to that observed during the 5-years period of land abandonment (2011-2016), as a result of the regrowth of spontaneous vegetation over farmland, protecting soil against erosion. Future research should further investigate the impact of longer land abandonment that prevailed in some regions decontaminated lately on the 137Cs fluxes in the rivers.

Reactivity and bioconcentration of stable cesium in a hyperturbid fluvial-estuarine continuum: A combination of field observations and geochemical modeling

Effective, post-accidental management needs an accurate understanding of the biogeochemical behavior of radionuclides in surface environments at a regional scale. Studies on stable isotopes (element homologs) can improve this knowledge. This work focuses on the biogeochemical behavior of stable cesium (Cs) along a major European fluvial-estuarine system, the Gironde Estuary (SW France). We present results obtained from (i) a long-term monitoring (2014-2017) of dissolved (Csd) and particulate (Csp) Cs concentrations at five sites along the freshwater continuum of the Garonne watershed, (ii) Csd and Csp concentrations during four oceanographic campaigns at contrasting hydrological conditions along longitudinal profiles of the estuarine system, (iii) a 24 h cycle of Csp at the estuary mouth, and (iv) a historical trend of Cs bioconcentration in wild oysters at the estuary mouth (RNO/ROCCH, 1984-2017). In addition, we model the partitioning of Cs within the estuarine environment for clay mineral interactions via PhreeqC. At fluvial sites, we observe a geogenic dependence of the Csp and a seasonal variability of Csd, with a downstream increase of the solid-liquid partitioning (log10 Kd values from 3.64 to 6.75 L kg-1) for suspended particulate matter (SPM) < 200 mg L-1. Along the estuarine salinity gradients, Cs shows a non-conservative behavior where fresh SPM (defined as Cs-depleted particles recently put in contact with Csd) act as a Cs sink during both flood and low discharge (drought) conditions. This sorption behavior was explained by the geochemical model, highlighting the relevance of ionic strength, water and SPM residence times. However, at high salinities, the overall log10 Kd value decreases from 6.02 to 5.20 for SPM ∼300-350 mg L-1 due to the Csd oceanic endmember. Despite wild oysters showing low bioconcentration factors (∼1220 L kg-1) at the estuary mouth, they are sensitive organisms to Cs fluxes.

Long-term behaviour of Cs-137, Cs-133 and K in beech trees of French forests

In the long-term after atmospheric deposit onto a forest ecosystem, Cs-137 becomes incorporated into the biogeochemical cycle of stable elements and progressively reaches a quasi-equilibrium state. This study aimed at determining to what extent Cs-137 activity distribution in tree vegetation could be predicted from that of stable caesium (Cs-133) and potassium (K), which are known to be stable chemical analogues and competitors for Cs-137 intake in tree organs. Field campaigns that focused on beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) were conducted in 2021 in three French forest stands with contrasted characteristics regarding either the contribution of global vs. Chornobyl fallouts, soil or climatic conditions. Decades after Cs-137 fallouts, it was found that more than 80% of the total radioactive inventory in the system remained confined in the top 20 cm mineral layers, while organic layers and beech vegetation (including roots) contributed each to less than 1.5%. The enhanced downward migration of Cs-137 in cambisol than podzol forest sites was presumably due to migration of clay particles and bioturbation. The distribution of Cs-137 and Cs-133 inventories in beech trees was very similar among sites but differed from that of K due a higher accumulation of Cs isotopes in roots (40-50% vs. < 25% for K). The aggregated transfer factor (Tag) of Cs-137 calculated for aerial beech organs were all lower than those reported in literature more than 20 years ago, this suggesting a decrease of bioavailability in soil due to ageing processes. Regarding their variability, Tags were generally lower by a factor 5 at the cambisol site, which was fairly well explained by a much higher value of RIP (radiocesium immobilisation potential). Cs-137 concentrations in trees organs normalized by the soil exchangeable fractions were linearly correlated to those of Cs-133 and the best fit was found for the linear regression model without intercept indicating that no more contribution of the foliar uptake could be observed on long term. Provided that the vertical distribution of caesium concentrations and fine root density are properly measured or estimated, Cs-133 was shown to be a much better proxy than K to estimate the root transfer of Cs-137.

Temporal trajectories of artificial radiocaesium 137Cs in French rivers over the nuclear era reconstructed from sediment cores

137Cs is a long-lived man-made radionuclide introduced in the environment worldwide at the early beginning of the nuclear Era during atmospheric nuclear testing's followed by the civil use of nuclear energy. Atmospheric fallout deposition of this major artificial radionuclide was reconstructed at the scale of French large river basins since 1945, and trajectories in French nuclearized rivers were established using sediment coring. Our results show that 137Cs contents in sediments of the studied rivers display a large spatial and temporal variability in response to the various anthropogenic pressures exerted on their catchment. The Loire, Rhone, and Rhine rivers were the most affected by atmospheric fallout from the global deposition from nuclear tests. Rhine and Rhone also received significant fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and recorded significant 137Cs concentrations in their sediments over the 1970-1985 period due to the regulatory releases from the nuclear industries. The Meuse River was notably impacted in the early 1970s by industrial releases. In contrast, the Seine River display the lowest 137Cs concentrations regardless of the period. All the rivers responded similarly over time to atmospheric fallout on their catchment, underlying a rather homogeneous resilience capacity of these river systems to this source of contamination.

Regularities of 137Cs distribution in the soil and vegetation cover of elementary landscape-geochemistry system within the forest test plot in the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone

The main goal of the investigation was to reveal the lateral and vertical regularities of element distribution in the elementary landscape-geochemical system (ELGS) type: summit-slope-closing depression. We used an isotope 137Cs as a tracer of migration of chemical elements in soil and vegetation cover. The study was performed in a test site characterizing undisturbed forest landscapes in the Russian zone of the Chernobyl accident. Investigated ELGS was 16-m long with a relative height difference of 1.5 m. Field measurements of 137Cs activity was performed with a 1-meter step by the modified portable gamma-spectrometer Violinist-III (USA). Cs-137 content in moss and soil cores sampled with the same lateral step was determined in the laboratory using Canberra (USA, HPGe detector). The upper soil layer 8-cm thick contained from 70 to 96% of 137Cs, and 89-99% of the total inventory was fixed in the top 20-cm layer. Cs-137 activity in both the soil and moss cover demonstrated a cyclic type of variability, which was described and modeled using Fourier analysis. Correlation between the actual and modeled activity values (r0.01 = 0.868) showed that three main harmonics are sufficient for representative modeling of the observed cycles. We infer that the revealed patterns are characteristic for most of the chemical elements and may be useful for practical purposes.

Lessons learnt on the impact of an unprecedented soil decontamination program in Fukushima on contaminant fluxes

In the context of elevated concerns related to nuclear accidents and warfare, the lessons learnt from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011 are important. In particular, Japanese authorities implemented an ambitious decontamination program to reduce the air dose rate in order to facilitate the return of the local inhabitants to previously evacuated areas. This approach contrasts the strategy adopted in Chernobyl, where the most contaminated areas remain off limits. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the Japanese decontamination strategy on the dispersion of radioactive contaminant fluxes across mountainous landscapes exposed to typhoons has not been quantified. Based on the unique combination of river monitoring and modeling in a catchment representative of the most impacted area in Japan, we demonstrate that decontamination of 16% of the catchment area resulted in a decrease of 17% of sediment-bound radioactive fluxes in rivers. Decontamination operations were therefore relatively effective, although they could only be conducted in a small part of the area due to the dominance of steep forested slopes. In fact, 67% of the initial radiocesium contamination was calculated to remain stored in forested landscapes, which may contribute to future downstream radiocesium dispersion during erosive events. Given that only a limited proportion of the initial population had returned in 2019 (~30%), it raises the question as to whether decontaminating a small percentage of the contaminated area was worth the effort, the price, and the amount of waste generated?

Effect of soil organic matter on the fate of 137Cs vertical distribution in forest soils

Understanding the fate of the vertical distribution of radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs) in Japanese forest soils is key to assessing the radioecological consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. The ¹³⁷Cs behavior in mineral soil is known to be primarily governed by interaction with clay minerals; however, some observations suggest the role of soil organic matter (SOM) in enhancing the mobility of ¹³⁷Cs. Here we hypothesized that soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration profile determines the ultimate vertical pattern of ¹³⁷Cs distribution in Japanese forest soils. In testing this hypothesis, we obtained soil samples that were collected before the FDNPP accident at four forest sites with varying SOC concentration profiles and quantified the detailed vertical profile of ¹³⁷Cs inventory in the soils roughly half a century after global fallout in the early 1960 s. Results showed that the higher the SOC concentration in the soil profile, the deeper the ¹³⁷Cs downward penetration. On the basis of the data for surface soils (0-10 cm), the ¹³⁷Cs retention ratio for each of the 2-cm thick layers was evaluated as the ratio of ¹³⁷Cs inventory in the target soil layer to the total ¹³⁷Cs inventory in and below the soil layer. A negative correlation was found between the ratio and SOC concentration of the layer across all soils and depths. This indicates that the ultimate fate of ¹³⁷Cs vertical distribution can be predicted as a function of SOC concentration for Japanese forest soils, and provides further evidence for SOM effects on the mobility and bioavailability of ¹³⁷Cs in soils.

Synthesis and characterization of Ag@Cu-based MOFs as efficient adsorbents for iodine anions removal from aqueous solutions

Due to the critical importance of capturing radioiodine from aquatic environments for human health and ecosystems, developing highly efficient adsorbent materials with rapid kinetics for capturing iodide ions in aqueous solutions is urgently needed. Although extensive research has been conducted on iodine adsorption in gas and organic phases, limited research has been dedicated to adsorption in aqueous solutions. An effective technique for removing iodide was proposed using Ag@Cu-based MOFs synthesized by incorporating Ag into calcined HKUST-1 with varying mass ratios of Ag/Cu-C. Extensive characterization using SEM, XRD, XPS, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis confirmed successful incorporation of Ag in Cu-C. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted, demonstrating that the 5% Ag@Cu-C material exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 247.1 mg g^-1 at pH 3. Mechanism investigations revealed that Cu⁰ and dissolved oxygen in water generate Cu₂O and H₂O₂, while Ag and a small amount of CuO generate Ag₂O and Cu₂O. Furthermore, iodide ions in the solution are captured by Cu⁺ and Ag⁺ adsorption sites. These findings highlighted the potential of Ag@Cu-based MOFs as highly effective adsorbents for iodine anions removal in radioactive wastewater.

Effect of radioactive cesium-rich microparticles on radioactive cesium concentration and distribution coefficient in rivers flowing through the watersheds with different contaminated condition in Fukushima

Radioactive cesium-rich microparticles (CsMPs) derived from the Fukushima Daiichi Nnuclear Power Plant accident were detected from soils and river water around Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Because CsMPs are insoluble and rich in radioactive cesium (RCs), they may cause the overestimation of solid-water distribution coefficient (K_d) for RCs in the water. Previous studies showed the proportion of RCs derived from CsMPs on RCs concentration in soils collected from areas with different contaminated levels. Because the proportion of RCs concentration derived CsMPs to the RCs concentration of soils in the less contaminated areas is higher than that in the highly contaminated areas, the effect of CsMPs on particulate RCs concentration in river water may be larger in the less contaminated areas. However, the difference in the effects of CsMPs on the particulate RCs concentration and K_d in river water flowing through watersheds with different contaminated levels has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the effect of CsMPs on the particulate RCs concentration and K_d in two rivers, Takase River and Kami-Oguni River, flowing through the watersheds with different RCs contaminated levels in Fukushima Prefecture. CsMPs might enter rivers due to soil erosion because they were detected only in some samples collected from both rivers during flood events. CsMPs accounted for more than half of particulate RCs concentration in some water samples collected in the flood condition. In particular, the proportion of CsMPs in particulate RCs for the Kami-Oguni River was greater than that for the Takase River. However, when evaluating for the entire water sampling in the flood condition, a proportion of RCs concentration derived from CsMPs in the average RCs concentrations per unit mass of SS in both river waters collected in the flood condition was not large. CsMPs might temporarily increase the particulate RCs concentration and K_d in the flood event, but CsMPs did not significantly affect them when evaluated throughout the event.

Temporal evolution of plutonium concentrations and isotopic ratios in the Ukedo - Takase Rivers draining the Difficult-To-Return zone in Fukushima, Japan (2013-2020)

In 2011, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident released significant quantities of radionuclides into the environment. Japanese authorities decided to progressively reopen the Difficult-To-Return Zone after the decontamination of priority reconstruction zones. These areas include parts of the initially highly contaminated municipalities located to the north of the FDNPP, including Namie Town, an area drained by the Ukedo and Takase Rivers. Eleven years after the accident, research focused on the spatial distribution of plutonium (Pu) and radiocesium (Cs) isotopes at contrasted individual locations. To complement previous results, the current research was conducted on flood sediment deposits collected at the same locations after major flooding events during eleven fieldwork campaigns organised between 2013 and 2020 at the outlet of the Ukedo and Takase Rivers (n = 22). The results highlighted a global decrease of the Pu and ¹³⁷Cs contents in sediment with time during the abandonment phase in the region, from 2013 (238.20 fg g^-1) to 2020 (4.28 fg g^-1). Furthermore, based on the analysis of the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotopic ratios, the plutonium transiting these rivers (range: 0.166 - 0.220) essentially originated from the global fallout (0.180 ± 0.014 (Kelley et al., 1999)). Sediment showed contrasted properties in the two investigated rivers, which is likely mainly the result of the occurrence of Ogaki Dam on upper sections of the Ukedo River as it strongly impacts the material supply from this river to the Pacific Ocean. A statistical analysis highlighted the strong correlation between Pu activity concentrations and ¹³⁷Cs activities in both rivers, confirming that both radionuclides are transported with a similar pathway. Despite it was detected early after the accident (2011-2013), the current research demonstrates that plutonium originating from FDNPP is no longer detected in these rivers draining the Difficult-To-Return Zone at the onset of the reopening of the area to its former inhabitants.

Ten years of investigations of Fukushima radionuclides in the environment: A review on process studies in environmental compartments

In March 2011, severe nuclear accident happened at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) after the gigantic earthquake and following huge tsunami wave. A lot of investigations to assess environmental and radiological impacts of released radionuclides have been conducted by domestic and international organizations. Environmental radioactivity research related to the FDNPP accident has spread widely over different scientific fields due to specific features of the accident, and specifically its impact on the marine environment. The present paper summarizes major lessons learned from the environmental investigations of the FDNPP accident. Environmental radioactivity studies have typical interdisciplinary character; especially physics and chemistry are fundamental as a base of process studies in the environment. In this sight, we review chemical aspects regarding FDNPP-derived radiocesium transfer within and between compartments (atmosphere, ocean and land). We also discuss future trends in investigations of behavior of anthropogenic radionuclides in the environment, important not only for a better understanding of impacts of the FDNPP accident on the environment, but also for improving our general knowledge of the total environment in the Anthropocene era and its protection for the future.

Fukushima and Chernobyl: Similarities and Differences of Radiocesium Behavior in the Soil-Water Environment

In the wake of Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, radiocesium has become a radionuclide of most environmental concern. The ease with which this radionuclide moves through the environment and is taken up by plants and animals is governed by its chemical forms and site-specific environmental characteristics. Distinctions in climate and geomorphology, as well as ¹³⁷Cs speciation in the fallout, result in differences in the migration rates of ¹³⁷Cs in the environment and rates of its natural attenuation. In Fukushima areas, ¹³⁷Cs was strongly bound to soil and sediment particles, with its bioavailability being reduced as a result. Up to 80% of the deposited ¹³⁷Cs on the soil was reported to be incorporated in hot glassy particles (CsMPs) insoluble in water. Disintegration of these particles in the environment is much slower than that of Chernobyl-derived fuel particles. The higher annual precipitation and steep slopes in Fukushima-contaminated areas are conducive to higher erosion and higher total radiocesium wash-off. Among the common features in the ¹³⁷Cs behavior in Chernobyl and Fukushima are a slow decrease in the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in small, closed, and semi-closed lakes and its particular seasonal variations: increase in the summer and decrease in the winter.

A comparative study of riverine 137Cs dynamics during high-flow events at three contaminated river catchments in Fukushima

This study presents the temporal variations in riverine ¹³⁷Cs concentrations and fluxes to the ocean during high-flow events in three coastal river catchments contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. River water samples were collected at points downstream in the Niida, Ukedo, and Takase Rivers during three high-flow events that occurred in 2019-2020. Variations in both the dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentrations appeared to reflect the spatial pattern of the ¹³⁷Cs inventory in the catchments, rather than variations in physico-chemical properties of water and suspended solid. Negative relationships between the ¹³⁷Cs concentration and δ¹⁵N in suspended solid were found in all rivers during the intense rainfall events, suggesting an increased contribution of sediment from forested areas to the elevation of particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentration. The ¹³⁷Cs flux ranged from 0.33 to 19 GBq, depending on the rainfall erosivity. The particulate ¹³⁷Cs fluxes from the Ukedo River were relatively low compared with the other two rivers and were attributed to the effect of the Ogaki Dam reservoir upstream. The percentage of ¹³⁷Cs desorbed in seawater relative to ¹³⁷Cs in suspended solids ranged from 2.8% to 6.6% and tended to be higher with a higher fraction of exchangeable ¹³⁷Cs. The estimated potential release of ¹³⁷Cs desorbed from suspended solids to the ocean was 0.022-0.57 GBq, and its ratio to the direct flux of dissolved ¹³⁷Cs was 0.12-6.2. Episodic sampling during high-flow events demonstrated that the particulate ¹³⁷Cs flux depends on catchment characteristics and controls ¹³⁷Cs transfer to the ocean.

Reconstruction of time changes in radiocesium concentrations in the river of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP contaminated area based on its depth distribution in dam reservoir's bottom sediments

Radionuclide depth distribution in bottom sediments in deep-water zones of dam reservoirs, where no sediment mixing occurs, can be used to reconstruct time changes in particulate activity concentrations of radionuclides strongly bound to bottom sediments. This approach was used to analyze the ¹³⁷Cs concentration profile in a bottom sediment core collected from Ogaki dam reservoir on the Ukedo River in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant contaminated zone in October 2019. The derived ¹³⁷Cs particulate concentrations provided a basis for estimating the dissolved concentration and its temporal trend in the Ukedo River, using the mean value of the apparent ¹³⁷Cs distribution coefficient. The reconstructed particulate and dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations and their temporal trends are consistent with monitoring data. The annual mean particulate and dissolved ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios were also calculated for the period of eight years after the accident. Interestingly, the particulate ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios for the Ukedo River at Ogaki dam were found to be similar to those for the Pripyat River at Chernobyl in the same time period after the accident, while the dissolved ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios in the Ukedo River were an order of magnitude lower than the corresponding values in the Pripyat River. Both the particulate and dissolved ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios in the Ukedo River declined faster during the first eight years after the FDNPP accident than predicted by the diffusional model, most likely, due to greater natural attenuation and, to some extent, remediation measures implemented on the catchments in Fukushima.

Ten-year radiocesium fluvial discharge patterns from watersheds contaminated by the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident

After the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011, the fluvial discharge of ¹³⁷Cs from watersheds to rivers was analyzed between 2011 and 2021. The concentrations of dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs were measured in river water samples collected from two rivers (the Hiso and Wariki rivers, mainly draining farmlands and forests, respectively) draining approximately 4-7 km² watersheds in a montane area (the areal deposition of ^134+137Cs; 1-3 MBq·m^-2 in March 2011) of Iitate Village, Fukushima. Over the 10 yr analysis, the particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in the Hiso and Wariki rivers decreased by 70 and 50 times, respectively, and that of the dissolved form decreased by 150 and 130 times, respectively. Moreover, the apparent K_d (distribution coefficient) of ¹³⁷Cs for water samples from both rivers have increased gradually over these periods. In 2011, the ¹³⁷Cs discharge rates through the Hiso and Wariki rivers were 0.63% and 0.46% per year of the total amount of ¹³⁷Cs deposited in their catchments, respectively; however, by 2021, these rates had decreased to 0.09% and 0.03% per year. The cumulative ¹³⁷Cs discharge rates over 10 yr in the farmland- and forest-dominated rivers were 1.95% and 1.33%, respectively. These rates of the farmland-dominated river were ∼1.4-fold greater than those of the forest-dominated river. Moreover, ∼90% of the of the discharge occurred in particulate form while the remaining ∼10% was in the dissolved form. Thus, ¹³⁷Cs deposited within these watersheds due to the accident was gradually discharged by the rivers over the 10-yr period; however, the majority remains stored in soils and litters etc. of the catchment area. These results indicate that ¹³⁷Cs outflow from land-to-ocean will be limited in the future, as the river export of ¹³⁷Cs is expected to continue decreasing.

Modeling radionuclide transport in urban overland flow: a case study

This paper presents a case study demonstrating the process used to develop an overland flow model of radionuclide transport following an aerosol deposition from a hypothetical radiological dispersal device explosion. The process included the integration of digital elevation, building, and land cover information with hydrologic information from a calibrated Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) model. The overland flow model was used to explore the impact of washoff parameter selection and different storm events on radionuclide transport in surface flow. The range of washoff parameters used in the literature resulted in over a 7 times difference in radionuclide washoff, from a small surface removal to nearly full removal. The overland flow model illuminated the primary pathways of contaminant transport, a potentially useful tool that informs emergency response, planning, and remediation activities.

Sorption-desorption coefficients of uranium in contaminated soils collected around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Various radionuclides including fission products and heavy nuclides were released into the environment during the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident. The dissolution followed by migration of deposited radionuclides of Cs, Sr and U on soils could take place to the local environment. Therefore, it is necessary to determine sorption-desorption coefficients of U in soil-water system around the FDNPS from a migration viewpoint. The determination of sorption coefficient K_d(S) as well as desorption coefficient K_d(D) for U has been carried out in the present study using a laboratory batch method. Stable U was used for sorption from simulated ground water onto contaminated soil samples collected from Okuma Town, Fukushima. Different soil parameters were measured to understand their effects on sorption and desorption processes. The obtained K_d(S) and K_d(D) values of U were compared with values of K_d(S) and K_d(D) of Cs and Sr and K_d(S)-U in known Fukushima accident contaminated soils reported in the literature for better understanding. It was observed that K_d(S)-U varied from 160 to 5100 L/kg, whereas K_d(D)-U ranged from 200 to 11000 L/kg. K_d(D) was higher than K_d(S) for U in these soils implying irreversibility of the sorption process. Pearson's correlation of K_d(S) values suggested that U sorption is affected by various soil parameters. However, desorption is decided by the nature of U species formed in sorption process and soil parameters like pH, presence of carbonates, Ca ions, clay minerals etc. to some extent. The comparison between K_d(S) and K_d(D) values for Cs, Sr and U revealed that unsorbed Sr could migrate farther than unsorbed Cs or U under the present experimental conditions. Both sorption and desorption studies are of great importance to understand migration of metal ions from contaminated sites to local uncontaminated areas.

Influence of non-equilibrium sorption on the vertical migration of 137Cs in forest mineral soils of Fukushima Prefecture

Sorption hypotheses and models are required for the prediction of ¹³⁷Cs migration in soils contaminated after nuclear reactor accidents and nuclear weapons tests. In assessment models, the K_d (distribution coefficient) hypothesis for sorption, which assumes that sorption is instantaneous, linear and reversible, has often been coupled with the convection-diffusion equation (CDE) to model ¹³⁷Cs migration. However, it fails to describe ¹³⁷Cs migration velocities which often decrease with time. Alternative equilibrium-kinetic (EK) hypotheses of ¹³⁷Cs sorption/desorption have been suggested by laboratory experiments but have not been fully validated in field conditions. This work addressed the influence and magnitude of non-equilibrium ¹³⁷Cs sorption in field conditions by reinterpreting, with an inverse approach, series of ¹³⁷Cs profiles measured in mineral soils of forest plots located in Fukushima Prefecture (2013-2018). Our results show that the inclusion of non-equilibrium sorption significantly improves, compared to the equilibrium hypothesis, the realism of simulated ¹³⁷Cs profiles. Fitted sorption parameters suggest a fast sorption kinetic (half-time of 1-7 h) and a pseudo-irreversible desorption rate (half-time of 3.2 × 10⁰-3.4 × 10⁶ years), whereas equilibrium sorption (4.0 × 10^-3 L kg^-1 on average) only affects a negligible portion of ¹³⁷Cs inventory. By June 2011, such EK parameters fitted on our plots realistically reproduced profiles measured in the same forest study site (Takahashi et al., 2015). Predictive modeling of ¹³⁷Cs profiles in soil suggests a strong persistence of the surface ¹³⁷Cs contamination by 2030, with exponential profiles consistent with those reported after the Chernobyl accident. This study demonstrates that hypotheses and parameters of ¹³⁷Cs sorption can be partially inferred from in situ measurements. However, further experiments in controlled conditions are required to better estimate the sorption parameters and to identify the processes behind non-equilibrium sorption.

Using reservoir sediment deposits to determine the longer-term fate of chernobyl-derived 137Cs fallout in the fluvial system

Vast areas of Europe were contaminated by the fallout of ¹³⁷Cs and other radionuclides, as a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. The post-fallout redistribution of Chernobyl-derived ¹³⁷Cs was associated with erosion and sediment transport processes within the fluvial system. Bottom sediments from lakes and reservoirs can provide a valuable source of information regarding the post-fallout redistribution and fate of ¹³⁷Cs released by the Chernobyl accident. A detailed investigation of sediment-associated ¹³⁷Cs in the bottom sediments of a reservoir in a Chernobyl-affected area in Central Russia has been undertaken. A new approach, based on the vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations in the reservoir bottom sediment makes it possible to separate the initially deposited bottom sediment, where the ¹³⁷Cs activity reflects the direct fallout of Chernobyl-derived ¹³⁷Cs to the reservoir surface and its subsequent incorporation into sediment deposited immediately after the accident, from the sediment mobilized from the catchment deposited subsequently. The deposits representing direct fallout from the atmosphere was termed the "Chernobyl peak". Its shape can be described by a diffusion equation and it can be distinguished from the remaining catchment-derived ¹³⁷Cs associated with sediment accumulated with sediments during the post-Chernobyl period. The ¹³⁷Cs depth distribution above the "Chernobyl peak" was used to provide a record of changes in the concentration of sediment-associated ¹³⁷Cs transported from the upstream catchment during the post-Chernobyl period. It was found that the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in the sediment deposited in the reservoir progressively decreased during the 30-year period after the accident due to a reduction in the contribution of sediment eroded from the arable land in the catchment. This reflects a reduction in both the area of cultivated land area and the reduced incidence of surface runoff from the slopes during spring snowmelt due to climate warming.

Occurrence of highly radioactive microparticles in the seafloor sediment from the pacific coast 35 km northeast of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

To understand the properties and significance of highly radioactive particles in the marine environment, we have examined seafloor sediment with a radioactivity of ∼1200 Bq/kg (dry weight; after decay correction to March 2011) collected 35 km northeast of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). Among the 697 highly radioactive particles separated from the sediment, two particles, D1-MAX and D1-MID, had a total Cs radioactivity of ∼56 and 0.67 Bq (after decay correction to March 2011), respectively. These particles were characterized with a variety of electron microscopic techniques, including transmission electron microscopy. The ¹³⁴Cs/¹³⁷Cs radioactivity ratio of D1-MAX, 1.04, was comparable to that calculated for Unit 2 or 3. D1-MAX consisted mainly of a Cs-rich microparticle (CsMP) with a silica glass matrix. The data clearly suggested that D1-MAX resulted from a molten core-concrete interaction during meltdowns. In contrast, D1-MID was an aggregate of plagioclase, quartz, anatase, and Fe-oxide nanoparticles as well as clay minerals, which had adsorbed soluble Cs. D1-MID was likely a terrestrial particle that had been transported by wind and/or ocean currents to a site 35 km from the FDNPP. The radioactive fractions of D1-MAX and D1-MID were 15% and 0.36%, respectively, of the total radioactivity in the bulk sediment. These highly radioactive particles have a great impact on the movement of radioactive Cs in the marine environment by carrying condensed Cs radioactivity with various colloidal and desorption properties depending on the host phase.

Differentiating Fukushima and Nagasaki plutonium from global fallout using 241Pu/239Pu atom ratios: Pu vs. Cs uptake and dose to biota

Plutonium (Pu) has been released in Japan by two very different types of nuclear events - the 2011 Fukushima accident and the 1945 detonation of a Pu-core weapon at Nagasaki. Here we report on the use of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) methods to distinguish the FDNPP-accident and Nagasaki-detonation Pu from worldwide fallout in soils and biota. The FDNPP-Pu was distinct in local environmental samples through the use of highly sensitive ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios. In contrast, other typically-used Pu measures (²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios, activity concentrations) did not distinguish the FDNPP Pu from background in most 2016 environmental samples. Results indicate the accident contributed new Pu of ~0.4%-2% in the 0-5 cm soils, ~0.3%-3% in earthworms, and ~1%-10% in wild boar near the FDNPP. The uptake of Pu in the boar appears to be relatively uninfluenced by the glassy particle forms of fallout near the FDNPP, whereas the ^134,137Cs uptake appears to be highly influenced. Near Nagasaki, the lasting legacy of Pu is greater with high percentages of Pu sourced from the 1945 detonation (~93% soils, ~88% earthworm, ~96% boar). The Pu at Nagasaki contrasts with that from the FDNPP in having proportionately higher ²³⁹Pu and was distinguished by both ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu and ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios. However, compared with the contamination near the Chernobyl accident site, the Pu amounts at all study sites in Japan are orders of magnitude lower. The dose rates from Pu to organisms in the FDNPP and Nagasaki areas, as well as to human consumers of wild boar meat, have been only slightly elevated above background. Our data demonstrate the greater sensitivity of ²⁴¹Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in tracing Pu from nuclear releases and suggest that the Nagasaki-detonation Pu will be distinguishable in the environment for much longer than the FDNPP-accident Pu.

Prussian Blue: A Safe Pigment with Zeolitic-Like Activity

Prussian blue (PB) and PB analogues (PBA) are coordination network materials that present important similarities with zeolites concretely with their ability of adsorbing cations. Depending on the conditions of preparation, which is cheap and easy, PB can be classified into soluble PB and insoluble PB. The zeolitic-like properties are mainly inherent to insoluble form. This form presents some defects in its cubic lattice resulting in an open structure. The vacancies make PB capable of taking up and trapping ions or molecules into the lattice. Important adsorption characteristics of PB are a high specific area (370 m2 g-1 determined according the BET theory), uniform pore diameter, and large pore width. PB has numerous applications in many scientific and technological fields. PB are assembled into nanoparticles that, due to their biosafety and biocompatibility, can be used for biomedical applications. PB and PBA have been shown to be excellent sorbents of radioactive cesium and radioactive and nonradioactive thallium. Other cations adsorbed by PB are K+, Na+, NH4+, and some divalent cations. PB can also capture gaseous molecules, hydrocarbons, and even luminescent molecules such as 2-aminoanthracene. As the main adsorptive application of PB is the selective removal of cations from the environment, it is important to easily separate the sorbent of the purified solution. To facilitate this, PB is encapsulated into a polymer or coats a support, sometimes magnetic particles. Finally, is remarkable to point out that PB can be recycled and the adsorbed material can be recovered.

Calculations for ambient dose equivalent rates in nine forests in eastern Japan from 134Cs and 137Cs radioactivity measurements

Understanding the relationship between the distribution of radioactive ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in forests and ambient dose equivalent rates (H˙^∗(10)) in the air is important for researching forests in eastern Japan affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. This study used a large number of measurements from forest samples, including ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity concentrations, densities and moisture contents, to perform Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations for H˙^∗(10) between 2011 and 2017. Calculated H˙^∗(10) at 0.1 and 1 m above the ground had mean residual errors of 19% and 16%, respectively, from measurements taken with handheld NaI(Tl) scintillator survey meters. Setting aside the contributions from natural background radiation, ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in the organic layer and the top 5 cm of forest soil generally made the largest contributions to calculated H˙^∗(10). The contributions from ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in the forest canopy were calculated to be largest in the first two years following the accident. Uncertainties were evaluated in the simulation results due to the measurement uncertainties in the model inputs by assuming Gaussian measurement errors. The mean uncertainty (relative standard deviation) of the simulated H˙^∗(10) at 1 m height was 11%. The main contributors to the total uncertainty in the simulation results were the accuracies to which the ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs radioactivities of the organic layer and top 5 cm of soil, and the vertical distribution of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs within the 5 cm soil layers, were known. Radioactive cesium located in the top 5 cm of soil was the main contributor to H˙^∗(10) at 1 m by 2016 or 2017 in the calculation results for all sites. Studies on the ¹³⁷Cs distribution within forest soil will therefore help explain radiation levels henceforth in forests affected by the FDNPP accident. The merits of this study are that it modelled multiple forests for a long time period, with the important model inputs being informed by field measurements, and it quantified how the measurement uncertainties in these inputs affected the calculation results.

Mid- to long-term radiocesium wash-off from contaminated catchments at Chernobyl and Fukushima

We analyzed mid- to long-term ¹³⁷Cs wash-off from the catchments contaminated due to the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011. A semi-empirical diffusional model for radionuclide wash-off is proposed to enable estimation of the dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios for the Chernobyl and Fukushima contaminated catchments; the differences in the wash-off characteristics for these two regions are explained and their long-term trends predicted. The model is based on the premise that the catchment topsoil layer is the source of sediments in the rivers, and the radionuclide concentration in the topsoil can be described by a simple diffusion equation. The particulate ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios for the Fukushima contaminated catchments appear to be comparable or slightly lower than those for Chernobyl. The dissolved ¹³⁷Cs wash-off ratios for Fukushima catchments are at least an order of magnitude lower than those for Chernobyl, mainly due to an order of magnitude difference in the ¹³⁷Cs distribution coefficients for the Fukushima and Chernobyl rivers. The proposed semi-empirical diffusional model for radionuclide wash-off satisfactorily describes the temporal trends in the ¹³⁷Cs wash-off characteristics for both the Chernobyl and Fukushima cases, and can be used as a tool for predicting ¹³⁷Cs wash-off after a nuclear accident.

Dataset on the 6-year radiocesium transport in rivers near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Radiocesium released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) and deposited in the terrestrial environment has been transported to the sea through rivers. To study the long-term effect of riverine transport on the remediation process near the FDNPP, a monitoring project was initiated by the University of Tsukuba. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June 2011, and was taken over by the Fukushima Prefectural Centre for Environmental Creation from April 2015. The activity concentration and monthly flux of radiocesium in a suspended form were measured in the project. This provides valuable measurement data to evaluate the impact of the accidentally released radiocesium on residents and the marine environment. It can also be used as verification data in the development and testing of numerical models to predict future impacts.

Bioleaching and removal of radiocesium in anaerobic digestion of biomass crops: Effect of crop type on partitioning of cesium

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Anaerobic digestion (AD) of radiocesium (RCs)-contaminated crops was investigated.

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Anaerobic degradation of crops releases RCs into aqueous phase of digestate.

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RCs-solubilization efficiency rose with increase in degradability of feedstocks.

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Solid-liquid partition coefficient widely varied depending on the types of adsorbents.

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90 % of RCs removal was achieved at 30 g-zeolite/L or 1 g-Prussian blue beads/L.

Cultivation of biomass crops for energy production is a promising land-use for farmland abandoned owing to radionuclide fallout. However, radionuclides in soil are easily taken up in the crop. To understand phase partitioning of radiocesium Cs (RCs) during anaerobic digestion (AD) of crops, semi-continuous AD experiments were carried out using two types of RCs-contaminated crops. Analysis of fractionated digestate effluent revealed that AD of the crops released RCs into the water phase (up to 82 %), and the efficiency of RCs solubilization depended on crop biodegradability. Adsorption treatment for removal of RCs from the water phase of the digestate indicated a water–zeolite partition coefficient of 0.287 L/g. The efficiency of removal from the water phase was 90 % at an adsorbent dose of 30 g/L.

Discharge of suspended solids and radiocesium into stream water in a forested watershed before and after line thinning with spur road construction

In an experimental watershed located around 120 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with a drainage area of 59.9 ha, suspended solids (SS) and radioactive cesium discharge from a forested headwater catchment were monitored before and after line thinning. The lower slopes in the experimental watershed were covered with plantation conifer trees (Japanese cedar), while the upper slopes were covered with deciduous trees. In 2012, line thinning was carried out at a thinning rate of 35% across 17% of the northeastern part of the watershed and across the remaining part in 2013. Spur roads were constructed along all tributaries without water, and logged trees were dragged and grappled using forestry machinery and transported along these roads to timber yards using forwarder-type forestry vehicles. A V-notch weir and a water level gauge were installed at the watershed outlet and stream water was sampled twice a month during base flow, whereas during flood flow, stream water samples of 1 L were collected every hour using an automatic water sampler. These samples were filtered through 0.5 μm glass fiber filters to measure the SS concentration. SS concentration data was collected for 21 floods before thinning and for 37 floods after thinning. A time-integrated SS sampler was installed in the stream close to the weir and SS samples were collected every two or three months to measure their Cs-137 concentrations. SS concentrations before (from July 2010 to August 2012) and after thinning (from October 2013 to December 2018) were compared, where the maximum SS concentrations before and after thinning were 211 and 790 mg L^-1, respectively. It was discovered that some SS concentrations during flood flow were higher after carrying out thinning than before. Some ΣLss values (specific cumulative load of SS in a flood event) also showed the same results as the SS concentrations. Thus, it was clear that SS discharge immediately increases after thinning, but as it increases Cs-137 export is limited. This is related to a change in SS source brought about by the process of thinning, a decrease with time in the Cs-137 concentration in organic solid expected from that in litter, and a regrowth of vegetation on spur roads, protecting them against soil erosion. Therefore, it was concluded that thinning does not drastically increase Cs-137 export from a forested watershed.

Distribution and Evolution of Fukushima Dai-ichi derived 137Cs, 90Sr, and 129I in Surface Seawater off the Coast of Japan

The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plants (FDNPPs) accident in 2011 led to an unprecedented release of radionuclides into the environment. Particularly important are ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs due to their known health detriments and long half-lives (T_1/2 ≈ 30 y) relative to ecological systems. These radionuclides can be combined with the longer-lived ¹²⁹I (T_1/2 = 15.7 My) to trace hydrologic, atmospheric, oceanic, and geochemical processes. This study seeks to evaluate ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, and ¹²⁹I concentrations in seawater off the coast of Japan, reconcile the sources of contaminated waters, and assess the application of ¹³⁷Cs/⁹⁰Sr, ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs, and ¹²⁹I/⁹⁰Sr as oceanic tracers. We present new data from October 2015 and November 2016 off the coast of Japan, with observed concentrations reaching up to 198 ± 4 Bq·m^-3 for ¹³⁷Cs, 9.1 ± 0.7 Bq·m^-3 for ⁹⁰Sr, and (114 ± 2) × 10^-5 Bq·m^-3 for ¹²⁹I. The utilization of activity ratios suggests a variety of sources, including sporadic and independent releases of radiocontaminants. Though overall concentrations are decreasing, concentrations are still elevated compared to pre-accident levels. In addition, Japan's Environment Minister has suggested that stored water from the FDNPPs may be released into the environment and thus continued efforts to understand the fate and distribution of these radionuclides is warranted.

Global 137Cs fallout inventories of forest soil across Japan and their consequences half a century later

Japanese forests were exposed to multiple sources of radioactive contamination. To acquire scientific guidance on forest management planning, it is crucial to understand the long-term radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs) distribution (and redistribution) over time. To obtain robust evidence of the residual global fallout of ¹³⁷Cs (¹³⁷Cs-GFO) after a few decades, we determined ¹³⁷Cs-GFO inventory in forest soil at 1171 soil pits of 316 plots evenly spaced across Japan from 2006 to 2011, shortly before the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The activity concentration measurements were performed using a NaI well-type scintillation counter. The average (±SD) ¹³⁷Cs-GFO in forest soil (0-30 cm from the surface) of the National Forest Soil Carbon Inventory (NFSCI) sampling plots uniformly extracted from the entire country was estimated to be 2.27 ± 1.73 kBq m^-2 (n = 316) as of Oct. 1, 2008. A high nationwide spatial variation was found in ¹³⁷Cs-GFO, where relatively high ¹³⁷Cs-GFO was found along the Sea of Japan compared with the total annual precipitation. We also obtained a reconstructed decay-corrected cumulative ¹³⁷Cs-GFO dataset from the fallout observatories as the initial ¹³⁷Cs-GFO. The cumulative ¹³⁷Cs-GFO of fallout observatories averaged 2.47 ± 0.95 kBq m^-2 (n = 39) as of Oct. 1, 2008 and displayed spatial variation similar to that in forest soil. To identify whether ¹³⁷Cs-GFO remains in forest soil across Japan, we examined a general linear mixed-effect model comparing ¹³⁷Cs-GFO between forest soil and the observatory under normalized annual precipitation and region. The model did not indicate a significant difference, but relatively lesser ¹³⁷Cs-GFO was found in forest soil, where the least-squares mean of ¹³⁷Cs-GFO in forest soils was 79.1% of that of the observatory. The variation in ¹³⁷Cs-GFO in forest soils within NFSCI sampling plots was 1.4 times greater than that among plots. The high spatial variation in ¹³⁷Cs-GFO within a 0.1-ha plot strongly suggested the redistribution of ¹³⁷Cs-GFO within the forest catchment. The vertical distribution pattern of ¹³⁷Cs-GFO across three depth layers indicated that the ¹³⁷Cs-GFO redistributions were likely attributed to the movements of sediments and mass. Moreover, when extracting soil pits assumed to have the least soil disturbance from the vertical distribution pattern, no significant difference in ¹³⁷Cs-GFO was observed between forest soil and observatory data. These findings provide important insights into the stability of ¹³⁷Cs-GFO in the forest ecosystem. Considering the potential hotspot where ¹³⁷Cs-GFO can accumulate deeper in the soil (>30 cm in depth), most ¹³⁷Cs-GFO has remained in the forest for decades. Our study offers microscale heterogeneous ¹³⁷Cs-GFO distribution in forests for ensuring long-term forest management planning necessary for both the long-term migration and local accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs in forests.

Suspended Particle-Water Interactions Increase Dissolved 137Cs Activities in the Nearshore Seawater during Typhoon Hagibis

Distributions of ¹³⁷Cs in dissolved and particulate phases of the downstream reaches of seven rivers and adjacent nearshore and offshore waters as far as ∼60 km south of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) were studied during the high-river-flow period (June-September 2019) and during the period of October 2019 after typhoon Hagibis. Dissolved ¹³⁷Cs activities in nearshore water were higher than those in rivers and offshore waters, and this distribution was more intensified after the typhoon, indicating the desorption of ¹³⁷Cs from riverine suspended particles in addition to the ongoing release of contaminated water from the FDNPP and re-entry of radiocesium via submarine groundwater discharge. This scenario is also supported by the reduction of distribution coefficient (K_d) from a geometric mean value of 5.5 × 10⁵ L/kg in rivers to 9.8 × 10⁴ L/kg in nearshore water. The occupation of desorbed ¹³⁷Cs to the dissolved activity of this nuclide in nearshore water was estimated to be 0.7%-20% (median: 9.7%) during the high-river-flow period, increasing to 1.4%-66% (32.3%) after the typhoon, suggesting that the desorption during the flood period such as typhoons further contributes to the increase in dissolved ¹³⁷Cs levels in nearshore water.

Radiocesium distribution in the sediments of the Odaka River estuary, Fukushima, Japan

Radiocesium that originated from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was deposited on the ground surface and has been transported via fluvial discharge, primarily in the form of particulates, to downstream areas and eventually to the ocean. During transportation, some of the radiocesium accumulated on the riverbed. In this study, we quantified the radiocesium deposition on the riverbed in the Odaka River estuary and investigated the radiocesium sedimentation process of the river bottom. Our results show that the radiocesium inventory in the seawater intrusion area is larger than those in the freshwater and marine parts of the estuary. Moreover, the particle-size distribution in the seawater intrusion area shows a high proportion of silt and clay particles compared with the distribution in other areas. The increased radiocesium inventory in this area is attributed to the sedimentation of fine particles caused by hydrodynamic factors (negligible velocity of the river flow) rather than flocculation factor by salinity variation.

Effectiveness of decontamination by litter removal in Japanese forest ecosystems affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident caused serious radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs) contamination of forest ecosystems over a wide area. The removal of the forest floor litter layer has been considered a potential method for forest decontamination; however, its effectiveness remains largely unknown. We conducted a pilot-scale decontamination study in a deciduous broadleaved forest in Fukushima. The entire forest was decontaminated by removing the litter layer in July 2014, approximately 3.3 years after the accident, with the exception of two untreated plots. For three years after decontamination, we quantified ¹³⁷Cs contamination levels in the litter and topsoil layers and in the tree leaves, in the untreated and decontaminated areas. The decreased inventories of litter materials and the litter-associated ¹³⁷Cs in the decontaminated areas were observed only in the first year after decontamination. Generally, no decontamination effects were observed on the ¹³⁷Cs transfer in tree leaves. The primary reason for this was the rapid shift in the main reservoir of ¹³⁷Cs from litter layers to the underlying mineral soil, which differs from the observations in post-Chernobyl studies of European forest ecosystems. The results suggest that litter-removal decontamination can only be successful if it is implemented more quickly (within 1-2 years after the accident) for Japanese forest ecosystems.

Impact of wildfire on 137Cs and 90Sr wash-off in heavily contaminated forests in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Wildfires may play a role in redistributing radionuclides in the environment in combination with hydrological processes such as surface runoff and soil erosion. We investigated plot-scale radionuclide wash-off at forest sites affected by wildfires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). We also compared speciation of the washed-off radionuclides with those in previous studies conducted just after the accident in 1986. We observed the surface runoff and the radionuclide wash-off with a soil erosion plot at forest and post-fire sites during May-September 2018. In the post-fire site, 2.81 mm of surface runoff was observed in at least three flow events resulting from 285.8 mm total rainfall. The fluxes of dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs were estimated as 4.9 and 161 Bq m^-2, respectively. The dissolved phase ⁹⁰Sr flux was estimated as 214 Bq m^-2. At the forest site, a single surface runoff (0.67 mm) event was generated by rainfall of 182.2 mm. The fluxes of dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs wash-off values were 6.2 and 8.6 Bq m^-2, respectively. The flux of dissolved ⁹⁰Sr wash-off from the forest was estimated as 45.1 Bq m^-2. The distribution coefficient, which indicates the dissolved-particulate form of radionuclides, in the post-fire site was 30 times higher than that in the forest site, indicating the importance of particulate ¹³⁷Cs wash-off after fire in the CEZ. The entrainment coefficients for dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were around 50 times lower than those obtained in the corresponding position within the CEZ immediately after the accident in 1987. The effect of downward migration of ¹³⁷Cs over 30 years led to decreased entrainment coefficients for dissolved and particulate ¹³⁷Cs. The effect of downward migration of radionuclides was considered sufficient to indicate changes in normalized liquid and solid radionuclides wash-off entrainment coefficient and the distribution coefficient in this study.

Prussian blue analogue functionalized magnetic microgels with ionized chitosan for the cleaning of cesium-contaminated clay

To deal with regeneration of nuclear-waste-contaminated soil, it is important to develop new materials and techniques for effective removal of radioactive cesium ions from clay. We report herein a synergistic remediation method for cleaning cesium-contaminated clay by Prussian blue analogue-functionalized magnetic microgel along with ionized chitosan. The magnetic microgels were prepared by surface polymerization of 4-vinyl pyridine and styrene on magnetite nanoparticles and attachment of Prussian blue analogues by ligand exchange reaction. The adsorption of cesium ions by magnetic microgels in aqueous solution follows the second-order kinetics process. And the maximum adsorption capacity was determined to be 149.70 mg/g by Langmuir adsorption model. When ionized chitosan hydrochloride was mixed with cesium-contaminated clay, we found that 200 mg/g clay of chitosan hydrochloride can realize 87.6 % of cesium release from clay within 2 h. Further use of magnetic microgel adsorbents can adsorb 95.5 % free cesium ions in solution, achieving an overall 83.7 % cleaning efficiency from cesium-contaminated clays. The microgels can be regenerated effectively and recycled magnetically while keeping the adsorption capacity constant after multiple times of use. The underlying principle demonstrated in this work can be extended to remediation of other types of radionuclides or heavy-metal ions in contaminated soil.

Initial decrease in the ambient dose equivalent rate after the Fukushima accident and its difference from Chernobyl

In 2011, after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the initial decrease in the ambient dose equivalent rate (dH*(10) dt-1), an alternative quantity to the effective dose, was studied using monitoring data obtained from March 16, 2011. The dH*(10) dt-1 was normalized by the 137Cs activity per unit area (norm-dH*(10) dt-1) to analyze the data across monitoring sites with different deposition levels. The norm-dH*(10) dt-1 showed a rapid decrease during the first 60 days, followed by slow decrease and was modeled using two exponential functions. The norm-dH*(10) dt-1 obtained in areas dominated by paved surfaces and buildings showed a faster decrease than the unpaved-dominant field, and this decrease was facilitated in residential areas compared with the evacuation zone. The decrease in norm-dH*(10) dt-1 was compared with simulation results using parameters obtained in Europe after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident that represent a decrease due to radionuclide migration (e.g., soil penetration and horizontal wash-off). The simulation results showed a faster decrease than our results, implying that there was less radiocesium migration in Fukushima than in Europe. The results also suggested that the regional variation in the decrease rate led to uncertainty regarding the external dose estimation.

Impact of dam flushing operations on sediment dynamics and quality in the upper Rhône River, France

The Rhône River (France) has been used for energy production for decades and 21 dams have been built. To avoid problems due to sediment storage, dam flushing operations are periodically organized. The impacts of such operations on suspended particulate matter (SPM) dynamics (resuspension and fluxes) and quality (physico-chemical characteristics and contamination), were investigated during a flushing operation performed in June 2012 on 3 major dams from the Upper Rhône River. The concentrations of major hydrophobic organic contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - PAHs, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate [DEHP] and 4-n-nonylphenol), trace metal elements, particulate organic carbon (POC) and particle size distribution were measured on SPM samples collected during this event as well as on those obtained from 2011 to 2016 at a permanent monitoring station (150 km downstream). This allows to compare the SPM and contaminant concentrations and fluxes during the 2012 dam flushing operations with those during flood events and baseflow regime. At equal water discharge, mean SPM concentrations during flushing were on average 6-8 times higher than during flood events recorded from 2011 to 2016. While of short duration (19 days), the flushing operations led to the resuspension of SPM and contributed to a third of the mean annual SPM flux. The SPM contamination was generally lower during flushing than during baseflow or flood, probably due to the fact that flushing transports SPM only issued from resuspended sediment, with no autochtonous particles nor eroded soil. The only exception are PAHs and DEHP with higher concentrations during flushing, which must be issued from the resuspension of legacy-contaminated sediments stored behind the dams before the implementation of emission regulations. During flushing, the variations of POC and contaminant concentrations are also mostly driven by particle size. Finally, we propose a list of recommendations for the design of an adequate monitoring network to evaluate the impact of dam flushing operations on large river systems.

Mineral composition characteristics of radiocesium sorbed and transported sediments within the Tomioka river basin in Fukushima Prefecture

The deposited radiocesium in the Fukushima river basin is transported in the river systems by soil particles and redistributed in the downstream areas. Although predicting the behaviors of minerals that adsorb radiocesium and of radiocesium dissolved in river water within the river systems is essential, the dominant mineral species that adsorb radiocesium have not yet been comprehensively identified. We identify herein such mineral species by investigating the ¹³⁷Cs distribution and the mineral species in each size fraction that are found in the bedload sediments from an upstream reservoir to an estuary within the Tomioka river basin located east of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. In the fine sand sediment, which is the dominant fraction in terms of the ¹³⁷Cs quantity in the river bedload, the ¹³⁷Cs concentrations of the felsic and mafic minerals are comparable to that of micas. The mafic minerals contain 62% of the ¹³⁷Cs in the fine sand fraction in the upstream area, while the felsic minerals contain the highest quantities of ¹³⁷Cs in the downstream area. These results suggest that the quantification of the mineral species and the ¹³⁷Cs concentration of each size fraction are critically important in predicting the behaviors of the minerals and radiocesium within the Fukushima river basin in the future.

Characterizing cesium sorption in freshwater settings using fluvial sediments and characteristic water chemistries

Cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) is a persistent contaminant that poses a significant risk to human health and the environment. Understanding the fate and transport of ¹³⁷Cs following a contamination incident is necessary for effective containment and remediation. In this study, we performed experiments to investigate how Cs⁺ sorption processes are affected by sediment type and varying water chemistries to better understand how Cs⁺ is transported in freshwater settings. Sediment was collected from various river deposits along the Susquehanna River adjacent to the Safety Light Corporation United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Superfund site (Bloomsburg, PA) and characterized prior to being used in batch reactor experiments with waters characteristic of different regions in the US (Central US and Northeast US) and with three different cation types (Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺) over a range of ionic strengths. Greater amounts of Cs⁺ sorption occurred with increasing sediment mud (silt and clay) content, although no major differences in sorption between the Central and Northeast US water types were observed. At an ionic strength (I) of 10 mM, K⁺ inhibited Cs⁺ sorption most effectively, followed by Mg²⁺, with Na⁺ having little effect on Cs⁺ sorption over the range of ionic strengths tested (I = 0.1, 1, and 10 mM). Our findings indicate that for the representative freshwater conditions tested here, sediment type (e.g., clay fraction) has a greater influence on Cs⁺ sorption processes than water chemistry. Additional reactions or processes occurring in relatively fresh water could buffer cation competition for sorption sites. Conducting experiments using site-specific sediment samples and water chemistries is useful for predicting Cs⁺ sorption and mobility in distinct environmental settings, particularly when the level of Cs⁺ contamination is high and if the waste or contaminated (or receiving) waters have a relatively high ionic strength.

Factors controlling dissolved 137Cs concentrations in east Japanese Rivers

To investigate the main factors that control the dissolved radiocesium concentration in river water in the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, the correlations between the dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations at 66 sites normalized to the average ¹³⁷Cs inventories for the watersheds with the land use, soil components, topography, and water quality factors were assessed. We found that the topographic wetness index is significantly and positively correlated with the normalized dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentration. Similar positive correlations have been found for European rivers because wetland areas with boggy organic soils that weakly retain ¹³⁷Cs are mainly found on plains. However, for small Japanese river watersheds, the building area ratio in the watershed strongly affected the dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentration. One reason for this would be because the high concentrations of solutes, such as K⁺ and dissolved organic carbon, discharged in urban areas would inhibit ¹³⁷Cs absorption to soil particles. A multiple regression equation was constructed to predict the normalized dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentration with the topography, land use, soil component, and water quality data as explanatory variables. The best model had the building land use as the primary predictor. When comparing two multiple regression models in which the explanatory variables were limited to (1) the land use and soil composition and (2) the water quality, the water quality model underestimated the high normalized dissolve ¹³⁷Cs concentration in urban areas. This poor reproducibility indicates that the dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentration value in urban areas cannot be solely explained by the solid-liquid distribution of ¹³⁷Cs owing to the influence of the water quality, but some specific ¹³⁷Cs sources in urban areas would control the dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentration.

Land use types control solid wash-off rate and entrainment coefficient of Fukushima-derived 137Cs, and their time dependence

Understanding solid ¹³⁷Cs wash-off in sediment sources is important for predicting radiological risks in zones contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Yoshimura et al. (2015) studied solid ¹³⁷Cs wash-off using soil erosion plots representing different land uses in Fukushima. However, temporal trends of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in sediments remained unclear owing to the short duration of their observations. This study is a follow-up to that of Yoshimura et al. (2015) and provides additional observations that test the dependency of temporal variations in ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in sediment and solid wash-off processes of ¹³⁷Cs on land use types. Eight soil erosion plots were observed, and data from 2011 to 2014 were analyzed. A normalized ¹³⁷Cs solid entrainment coefficient, defined as Sc (m² kg^-1), was calculated by dividing ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in sediment by initial ¹³⁷Cs deposition. A particle size-corrected Sc, defined as Sc_correct (m² kg^-1), was also calculated based on granulometry. Sediment quantity-weighted mean values of Sc and Sc_correct, ranged from 0.0072 to 0.084 m² kg^-1 and 0.0052-0.078 m² kg^-1, respectively. Annual wash-off rates of solid ¹³⁷Cs were 0.0029-12% year^-1. There was no significant decreasing trend in Sc or Sc_correct on most of the plots due to its huge variability. However, on an uncultivated farmland after the removal of surface vegetation, marked surface erosion including formation of rill network was found, and Sc_correct significantly decreased as the cumulative sediment discharge increased. Our follow-up observations suggest that temporal changes in ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in sediment at the sediment source should be controlled by soil erosion processes and their intensity.

Six-year monitoring of the vertical distribution of radiocesium in three forest soils after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on March 2011, several studies showed that the downward migration of ¹³⁷Cs from litter to mineral soil is more rapid in forests in Fukushima than in forests affected by the Chernobyl accident. Therefore, the downward migration within mineral soil layers is more important for predicting long-term dynamics of ¹³⁷Cs in forest ecosystems in Fukushima. In the present study, we monitored the detailed vertical distribution of ¹³⁷Cs in litter and soil layers for 6 y (2011-2017) following the previous study (2011-2012), and found that temporal changes in those distributions were different among mixed forest (MF), mature cedar (MC) and young cedar (YC) forests. The ¹³⁷Cs concentrations and inventories in the litter layer exponentially decreased with time for all sites, with more than 80-95% of the deposited ¹³⁷Cs on the forest floor distributed in mineral soil layers by 2017. The percentage of ¹³⁷Cs inventory in the litter layer to the total ¹³⁷Cs inventory in litter and mineral soil layers was well fitted by a single exponential equation with decreasing rate of 0.22-0.44 y^-1. The slower migration was observed in the YC site, probably because of higher initial interception of ¹³⁷Cs fallout by dense canopy. As the downward migration from litter to mineral soil progressed, the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the first few cm of mineral soil surface gradually increased and became higher than the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in the litter within 2-3 y of the accident. The ¹³⁷Cs concentration in mineral soil layers exponentially decreased with depth throughout survey period, and an exponential equation fitted well. The relaxation depth of ¹³⁷Cs concentration in mineral soil layers estimated by the exponential equation were constantly increasing in the MC and YC sites with 0.08 cm y^-1. In contrast, there was no temporal increase in the relaxation depth in the MF site, indicating little migration to subsurface soil layer from not only litter layer but also surface soil layer. Further studies are necessary to identify the forests prone to the downward migration of ¹³⁷Cs and its factors regarding both forest and soil characteristics.

Evaluation of particulate 137Cs discharge from a mountainous forested catchment using reservoir sediments and sinking particles

The time and size dependencies of particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in a reservoir were investigated to evaluate the dynamics of ¹³⁷Cs pollution from a mountainous forested catchment. Sediment and sinking particle samples were collected using a vibracorer and a sediment trap at the Ogaki Dam Reservoir in Fukushima, which is located in the heavily contaminated area that formed as a result of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident of 2011. The inventory of ¹³⁷Cs discharged into the reservoir during the post-accident period (965 days) was estimated to be approximately 3.0 × 10¹²-3.9 × 10¹² Bq, which is equivalent to 1.1%-1.4% of the initial estimated catchment inventory. The particulate ¹³⁷Cs concentration showed a decline with time, but the exponent value between the specific surface area and the ¹³⁷Cs concentration for the fine-sized (<63 μm) particle fraction remained almost constant from the immediate aftermath of the accident. These quantitative findings obtained by reconstructing the contamination history of particulate ¹³⁷Cs in reservoir sediments and sinking particles have important implications for the evaluation of ¹³⁷Cs dynamics in mountainous forested catchments.

Simulation study of the effects of buildings, trees and paved surfaces on ambient dose equivalent rates outdoors at three suburban sites near Fukushima Dai-ichi

The influence of buildings, trees and paved surfaces on outdoor ambient dose equivalent rates (H˙^∗(10)) in suburban areas near to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) was investigated with Monte Carlo simulations. Simulation models of three un-decontaminated sites in Okuma and Tomioka were created with representations of individual buildings, trees and roads created using geographic information system (GIS) data. The ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs radioactivity distribution within each model was set using in-situ gamma spectroscopy measurements from December 2014 and literature values for the relative radioactive cesium concentration on paved surfaces, unpaved land, building outer surfaces, forest litter and soil layers, and different tree compartments. Reasonable correlation was obtained between the simulations and measurements for H˙^∗(10) across the sites taken in January 2015. The effect of buildings and trees on H˙^∗(10) was investigated by performing simulations removing these objects, and their associated ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs inventory, from the models. H˙^∗(10) were on average 5.0% higher in the simulations without buildings and trees, even though the total ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs inventory within each model was slightly lower. The simulations without buildings and trees were then modified to include ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in the ground beneath locations where buildings exist in reality, and the inventory of paved surfaces modelled as if they had high retention of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs fallout like soil areas. H˙^∗(10) increased more markedly in these cases than when considering the shielding effect of buildings and trees alone. These results help clarify the magnitude of the effect of buildings, trees and paved surfaces on H˙^∗(10) at the un-decontaminated sites within Fukushima Prefecture.

Applicability of Kd for modelling dissolved 137Cs concentrations in Fukushima river water: Case study of the upstream Ota River

A study is presented on the applicability of the distribution coefficient (K_d) absorption/desorption model to simulate dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in Fukushima river water. The upstream Ota River basin was simulated using GEneral-purpose Terrestrial Fluid-flow Simulator (GETFLOWS) for the period 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2015. Good agreement was obtained between the simulations and observations on water and suspended sediment fluxes, and on particulate bound ¹³⁷Cs concentrations under both base and high flow conditions. By contrast the measured concentrations of dissolved ¹³⁷Cs in the river water were much harder to reproduce with the simulations. By tuning the K_d values for large particles, it was possible to reproduce the mean dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations during base flow periods (observation: 0.32 Bq/L, simulation: 0.36 Bq/L). However neither the seasonal variability in the base flow dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations (0.14-0.53 Bq/L), nor the peaks in concentration that occurred during storms (0.18-0.88 Bq/L, mean: 0.55 Bq/L), could be reproduced with realistic simulation parameters. These discrepancies may be explained by microbial action and leaching from organic matter in forest litter providing an additional input of dissolved ¹³⁷Cs to rivers, particularly over summer, and limitations of the K_d absorption/desorption model. It is recommended that future studies investigate these issues in order to improve simulations of dissolved ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in Fukushima rivers.