Summary of radioactive Cs dynamics studies in coastal areas and assessment of river impacts

Misono, Toshiharu   ; Tsuruta, Tadahiko  ; Nakanishi, Takahiro   ; Sanada, Yukihisa   

A large amount of radioactive material was released into the environment following the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake. Nine years have passed since this accident, and the radioactive concentration in the seabed sediments has decreased. However, the influence of rivers causes coastal areas to be dynamic. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has conducted studies at the mouth of the Ukedo River. Here, we review previous studies and evaluate the radioactive Cs supplied by rivers using a sediment trap. In this study, a mooring system consisting of a sediment trap was installed in the Ukedo River estuary near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from February 2017 to November 2017. A calculation of the annual Cs flux estimated from the obtained contribution rates indicates that the contribution of resuspension to the flux was over 60% during this period. Therefore, this study shows that the mobilization of radioactive Cs in the coastal area is primarily due to resuspension.