1. Source and distribution characteristics of 239, 240, 241Pu, 237Np and 134, 137Cs in sediments in the Northwest and Central Equatorial Pacific after the Fukushima nuclear accident.
- Author
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Wang, Fenfen, Zheng, Jian, Aono, Tatsuo, Pan, Shaoming, and Men, Wu
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RADIOACTIVE fallout ,FUKUSHIMA Nuclear Accident, Fukushima, Japan, 2011 ,NUCLEAR accidents ,SEDIMENTS ,OCEAN bottom ,NUCLEAR power plants ,DEPTH profiling - Abstract
To understand the possible influence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on the deep sea, as well as the geochemical behavior and transport of radionuclides,
134 Cs,137 Cs,239, 240 Pu,241 Pu, and237 Np were measured in the abyssal sediments of the Northwest Pacific (NWP) and Central Equatorial Pacific (CEP) Ocean. Data on the characteristics of these sediments obtained after the FDNPP accident are extremely rare, especially in the NWP subtropical gyre (NPSG) region. FDNPP-derived radio-Cs (134 Cs,137 Cs) arrived at the open sea floor of the NWP before 2018 but was only found in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension (KOE) region. No FDNPP-derived Pu was detected in the abyssal sediments of the NWP or CEP. Pu in the NWP mainly originated from global fallout and the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG) close-in fallout, except for at station WP1 (39°N in the KOE region), where an abnormal but non-FDNPP-derived Pu signal was detected. Pu in the eastern CEP sediment was less affected by the PPG close-in fallout from the Marshall Islands and was mainly derived from global fallout, with some close-in fallout from the Johnston Atoll test. The KOE region was the area most affected by PPG close-in fallout Pu via Kuroshio transport, while the lowest inventories of239+240 Pu and237 Np were found in the NPSG region due to its oligotrophic environment. The237 Np originated from the same source as Pu, and the latitudinal pattern of237 Np was consistent with that of Pu. Station SS (in the marginal sea of the NWP) contained high237 Np/239 Pu atom ratios in the deeper layers of sediment and had a237 Np depth profile opposite that of the239+240 Pu profile, compared to other stations; these differences are mainly attributed to differences in the behaviors of237 Np and239 Pu. [Display omitted] • Valuable data of237 Np,239,240,241 Pu,134,137 Cs in cores in NWP and CEP are provided. • FDNPP-derived -Cs has reached and penetrated abyssal sediments (>5000m) in NWP. • Abnormal240 Pu/239 Pu atom ratios were detected but not derived from FDNPP. • The lowest Pu and Np inventories were in NPSG area while the highest were in KOE. • Higher mobility of237 Np than Pu made more237 Np migrate downward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2022
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