Long-term assessment of transport of radioactive contaminant in the environment of Fukushima (F-TRACE Project), 2; Forest investigations

Niizato, Tadafumi  ; Abe, Hironobu ; Watanabe, Takayoshi ; Sato, Haruo; Yasue, Kenichi; Oda, Yoshihiro 

An understanding of the environmental fate of the radiocaesium released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is a crucial issue for remediation of the Fukushima environment because it is the main radionuclide which contributes to population dose within the contaminated area. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency launched a new research project, which aims to develop a system for evaluation of radiation exposure, taking into consideration the transport, deposition, and reworking behaviour of radiocaesium from the highest contaminated mountain forests down through the biosphere to eventual deposition in the sea. In addition, the project aims to propose counter measures for reduction in dose from the most significant exposure pathways. In this paper, we present the current status and preliminary results on the investigation of the Fukushima forest.