1. Impact of the 2019 typhoons on sediment source contributions and radiocesium concentrations in rivers draining the Fukushima radioactive plume, Japan
- Author
-
Evrard, Olivier, Durand, Roxanne, Nakao, Atsushi, Patrick Laceby, J., Lefèvre, Irène, Wakiyama, Yoshifumi, Hayashi, Seiji, Asanuma-Brice, Cécile, and Cerdan, Olivier
- Subjects
Source tracing ,Sediment fingerprinting ,Nuclear accident ,Catchment ,Cesium-137 ($^{137}$Cs) ,Geophysics. Cosmic physics ,QC801-809 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 ,Geology ,QE1-996.5 - Abstract
The Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011 generated a 3000 km$^{2}$ plume of soils heavily contaminated with $^{137}$Cs. Decontamination was completed early in 2019. Typhoon Hagibis was the first extreme event that occurred in the region after decontamination. Its impact on sediment sources and sediment $^{137}$Cs contamination was investigated through the application of a sediment fingerprinting procedure using spectrocolorimetry and geochemical properties. Sediment deposits ($n=24$) were collected in the Mano and Niida River catchments after the 2019 typhoons, and their signature was compared to that of potential sources (e.g., cropland, forests, and subsurface; $n=57$). Results demonstrate the dominance of cropland as the main source of sediment (mean: 54%) followed by forests (41%) with much lower contributions of subsurface material (5%). Overall, $^{137}$Cs concentrations in sediment were on average 84%–93% lower than the levels recorded after the accident in 2011, which demonstrates the effectiveness of cropland decontamination.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF