Behavior of radiocesium (Cs) on the coastal seafloor near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant inferred from radiocesium distributions in long cores

長尺コアの放射性セシウム分布から推定される福島第一原子力発電所周辺沿岸海底における放射性セシウムの挙動

中西 貴宏   ; 鶴田 忠彦  ; 御園生 敏治   ; 尻引 武彦; 卜部 嘉*; 眞田 幸尚   

Nakanishi, Takahiro; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Misono, Toshiharu; Shiribiki, Takehiko; Urabe, Yoshimi*; Sanada, Yukihisa

2012年から2022年までに福島第一原子力発電所(FDNPP)周辺で観測された表層海底堆積物中のCs-137濃度の連続データをとりまとめた結果、全体的にCs-137濃度は時間とともに徐々に低下していた。しかし、浅海域のいくつかのモニタリングポイントでは、Cs-137濃度の長い環境半減期や大きなばらつきが認められた。浅海域海底におけるセシウムの動態についての理解を深めるために、FDNPP近くの浅海域で長尺の堆積物コアを採取し、Cs-137濃度と粒径分布の鉛直分布を得た。海岸付近では、Cs-137の濃度と粒径分布は数十cmから1m以上の深さまで非常に均一化されていたことから、現在、海岸付近の堆積物には深い層に相当量のCs-137が蓄積している。陸域だけでなく深層からのCs-137供給が、海岸付近の表層海底土のCs-137濃度の時間的低下を抑制している可能性が示唆された。沖合の崖や窪地に位置する地点ではCs-137濃度の鉛直分布は不均質であり、数年間に同一地点で得られたCs-137鉛直分布はまったく異なっていた。この不均質性が、表層堆積物のCs-137濃度の経時的な大きな変化を引き起こすと推測された。

Continuous data of Cs-137 concentration in surface seabed sediment around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) from 2012 to 2022 was compiled and its temporal change was fitted by exponential function. In general, Cs-137 concentrations were gradually declining with time. However, at some monitoring points in shallow region, long half-lives and/or large deviations of Cs-137 concentrations were noticed. To gain insight into cesium dynamics in shallow seafloor, long sediment cores were collected at shallow region near the FDNPP, and the vertical profiles of Cs-137 concentration and particle size distribution were determined. At the beach, Cs-137 concentration and particle size distribution were very homogenized from several tens of cm to more than 1 m deep, probably due to strong vertical mixing by wind waves and tides. Therefore, beach sediments have significant Cs-137 reserves in deeper layers at present. It was suggested that the Cs-137 supply from deep layers as well as the land area might suppress the decline of surface Cs-137 concentration in this area. At sampling points located at the bases of cliffs and depressions at the offshore zone, the vertical distributions of Cs-137 concentration were highly heterogeneous, showing the particle size dependency. Moreover, Cs-137 profiles obtained at the same point for several years were quite different. Therefore, it might cause the large fluctuation of Cs-137 concentration at surface sediment over time.