EGU21-14671, updated on 10 Jan 2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14671
EGU General Assembly 2021
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

The impact and fate of fallout radionuclides by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in hydrological systems and post-accident environmental recovery

Yuichi Onda1, Keisuke Taniguchi1, Kazuya Yoshimura2, and Yoshifumi Wakiyama3
Yuichi Onda et al.
  • 1University of Tsukuba, Center for Research in Isotopes and Environmental Dynamics, Tsukuba, Japan (onda@geoenv.tsukuba.ac.jp)
  • 2Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Minamisoma, Japan
  • 3Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident released the largest quantity of radiocaesium into the terrestrial environment since the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The surrounding land received 2.7 PBq of radiocaesium to forests, agricultural lands, grasslands, and urban areas, from which the radionuclides migrated through soil and waterways. In this presentation, the deposition and distribution of radionuclides, especially radiocaesium, in the terrestrial environment as a result of the FDNPP accident are discussed based on the past 10 years' intensive dataset. Anthropogenic activities such as rice and vegetable cultivation and residential activities in the upstream area have led to a rapid decline in the activity concertation of 137Cs of suspended sediment (SS) transport in the river network, and these declines directly control the dissolved 137Cs concentration in the river water. We outline the environmental and anthropogenic factors that influenced the subsequent transport and impacts of radionuclides through the environment. The environmental aftermath of the accident at Fukushima is compared to Chernobyl, and the relatively rapid remediation of the Fukushima region relative to the region surrounding Chernobyl will be explained.

How to cite: Onda, Y., Taniguchi, K., Yoshimura, K., and Wakiyama, Y.: The impact and fate of fallout radionuclides by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in hydrological systems and post-accident environmental recovery, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-14671, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14671, 2021.

Displays

Display file