Distribution, dynamics, and fate of radiocesium derived from FDNPP accident in the ocean

Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Kamidaira, Yuki; Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Kawamura, Hideyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 59(4), p.409 - 423, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2021.1994480

After the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), many oceanographic observations were carried out from various perspectives. Numerical simulations were also effectively applied to understand the distribution of radionunclides. By integrating these results, the dynamics of the accident-derived radionuclides in the ocean were highlighted. The transport processes of the accident-derived radionuclides to the ocean include (1) direct discharge to the ocean, (2) deposition in the ocean via the atmosphere, and (3) inflow from rivers after deposition to the land surface. In the case of Cs, one of major accident-derived radionuclides, most of the supply to the ocean immediately after the accident (8-21 PBq) was estimated to be due to processes (1) and (2). The amount of Cs accumulated on the seafloor is only about 1% (0.2PBq) of the amount carried to the ocean, but it remains in the sediments in the coastal area for a long period of time and gradually migrates to the seawater and ecosystems near the seafloor.

Validity of the source term for the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident estimated using local-scale atmospheric dispersion simulations to reproduce the large-scale atmospheric dispersion of Cs

Kadowaki, Masanao; Furuno, Akiko; Nagai, Haruyasu; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Terada, Hiroaki; Tsuzuki, Katsunori; El-Asaad, H.

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 237, p.106704_1 - 106704_18, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106704

The source term of Cs for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident was estimated from the results of local-scale atmospheric dispersion simulations and measurements. To confirm the source term's validity for reproducing the large-scale atmospheric dispersion of Cs, this study conducted hemispheric-scale atmospheric and oceanic dispersion simulations. In the dispersion simulations, the atmospheric-dispersion database system Worldwide version of System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (WSPEEDI)-DB and oceanic dispersion model SEA-GEARN-FDM were used. Compared with the air concentrations of Cs measured by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, overall, the WSPEEDI-DB simulation reproduced the measurements with some overestimation. Furthermore, the deposition amounts of Cs was investigated using concentrations of Cs in seawater. The simulated seawater concentrations of Cs were underestimated regionally in the North Pacific. The overestimation and underestimation could be improved without contradiction between the air and seawater concentrations of Cs using more realistic precipitation in atmospheric dispersion simulations. This shows that the source term validated in this study could reproduce the spatiotemporal distribution of Cs because of the FDNPS accident in both local and large-scale atmospheric dispersion simulations.

Ocean current data obtained by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler across the Tsugaru Strait (Joint research)

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Hirose, Naoki*; Nakayama, Tomoharu*; Ito, Toshimichi

JAEA-Data/Code 2021-004, 34 Pages, 2021/05

JAEA-Data-Code-2021-004.pdf:3.72MB

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency measured the ocean current across the Tsugaru Strait using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler attached on a ferryboat from October 1999 to January 2008. The characteristics of the ocean current in the Tsugaru Strait must be understood for predicting oceanic dispersion of radioactive materials released from nuclear facilities around the strait. Furthermore, it is critical to elucidate the mechanism of the Tsugaru Warm Current from an oceanography viewpoint. The dataset obtained in this investigation consists of daily ocean current data files that record the components of the current speed in the east-west and north-south directions from the surface layer to the bottom layer. The dataset stores 2,211 daily ocean current data files, despite some data periods missing from October 1999 to January 2008. In this study, information on the dataset is described for users to analyze the dataset properly for their purposes. Section 1 provides the background and purpose of the ocean current measurement, Section 2 explains the methodology of measurement using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, and Section 3 explains the record format of the daily ocean current data files and data acquisition rate and presents analysis results. Finally, Section 4 concludes this study.

Predictability of a short-term emergency assessment system of the marine environmental radioactivity

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kamidaira, Yuki; Kobayashi, Takuya

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 57(4), p.472 - 485, 2020/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2019.1676836

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency developed a Short-Term Emergency Assessment system of the Marine Environmental Radioactivity (STEAMER) to predict the oceanic dispersion of radionuclides in the ocean around Japan. The purpose of this study is to validate the predictability of STEAMER using oceanographic forecast and reanalysis data, which were saved for past several years. Results of oceanic dispersion simulations that are driven by oceanographic reanalysis data are assumed to be true solutions. Oceanic dispersion simulations are conducted for Cs-137 released hypothetically from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The predictability of STEAMER is quantitatively examined for the length of the forecast period. Ensemble forecast simulations are also conducted to successfully improve the predictability of STEAMER.

Penetration of I released from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in the western North Pacific Ocean

Suzuki, Takashi; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi; Kuwabara, Jun; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Takuya

JAEA-Conf 2018-002, p.103 - 106, 2019/02

https://doi.org/10.11484/jaea-conf-2018-002

To investigate the dynamics of radionuclides in the ocean released by the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F), vertical distributions of I at three stations in the western North Pacific was revealed. The 1F accident-derived I existed within the mixed layer at 3 stations. The maximum layer of the 1F accident-derived I existed at the depth of 370 m - 470 m at the most southern station. Considering the dissolved oxygen concentration and the current velocity arround the station, the maximum layer of the 1F accident-derived I would be fromed that I which existed in the surface seawater at other area of observation point was carried to the depth of 370 m - 470 m by the fast downward flow.

Submesoscale mixing on initial dilution of radionuclides released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Kamidaira, Yuki; Uchiyama, Yusuke*; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Takuya; Furuno, Akiko

Journal of Geophysical Research; Oceans (Internet), 123(4), p.2808 - 2828, 2018/04

https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013359

We developed a submesoscale eddy-resolving oceanic dispersal modeling system consisting of a double nested oceanic downscaling model and an offline oceanic radionuclides dispersion model to investigate influences of submesoscale coherent structures (SCSs) and associated ageostrophic secondary circulations (ASCs) on the three-dimensional (3D) dispersal and initial dilution of the dissolved radioactive Cs accidentally released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) occurred since March 2011. The extensive model-data comparison demonstrates that the elaborated innermost high-resolution model at a lateral grid resolution of 1 km successfully reproduces transient mesoscale oceanic structures, the Kuroshio path and stratification, and spatiotemporal variations of 3D Cs concentrations. These SCSs and ASCs occurred primarily due to shear instability with baroclinic instability as the secondary mechanism, according to energy conversion and spectral analyses. The vertical Cs flux analysis was performed with decomposition of the variables into the mean, mesoscale, and submesoscale components using frequency and wavenumber filters. The vertical Cs flux analysis explained that 84% of the FNPP1-derived Cs was transported downward below the mixed layer by eddies, with the major contributions from ASCs induced by submesoscale eddies.

Development of a short-term emergency assessment system of the marine environmental radioactivity around Japan

Kobayashi, Takuya; Kawamura, Hideyuki; Fujii, Katsuji*; Kamidaira, Yuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 54(5), p.609 - 616, 2017/05

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2017.1286272

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has, for many years, been developing a radionuclide dispersion model for the ocean, and has validated the model through application in many sea areas using oceanic flow fields calculated by the ocean model. The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident caused marine pollution by artificial radioactive materials to the North Pacific, especially to coastal waters northeast of mainland Japan. In order to investigate the migration of radionuclides in the ocean caused by this severe accident, studies using marine dispersion simulations have been carried out by JAEA. Based on these as well as the previous studies, JAEA has developed the Short-Term Emergency Assessment system of Marine Environmental Radioactivity (STEAMER) to immediately predict the radionuclide concentration around Japan in case of a nuclear accident.

Numerical simulation on the long-term variation of radioactive cesium concentration in the North Pacific due to the Fukushima disaster

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Takuya; Furuno, Akiko; Usui, Norihisa*; Kamachi, Masafumi*

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 136, p.64 - 75, 2014/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.05.005

Numerical simulations on oceanic radioactive cesium dispersions in the North Pacific were conducted with a focus on the long-term variation of the radioactive cesium concentration after the Fukushima disaster. It was suggested that the Cs concentration had already been reduced to the pre-Fukushima background value in the wide area within the North Pacific 2.5 years after the Fukushima disaster.

Intercomparison of numerical simulations on oceanic dispersion of the radioactive cesium released because of the Fukushima disaster

Kawamura, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Takuya; Furuno, Akiko; Usui, Norihisa*; Kamachi, Masafumi*; Nishikawa, Shiro*; Ishikawa, Yoichi*

Proceedings of 19th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference (PBNC 2014) (USB Flash Drive), 7 Pages, 2014/08

Numerical simulations on oceanic dispersion of the radioactive cesium in the North Pacific from March 2011 to September 2013 were conducted to clarify the concentration of the radioactive cesium released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. We implemented the oceanic dispersion simulations with two independent ocean reanalysis dataset. It was suggested that the Cs concentration in the North Pacific was lower than the pre-Fukushima background level about two years after the Fukushima disaster. The intercomparison revealed that meso-scale eddies in the Kuroshio Extension region may have efficiently diluted the radioactive cesium concentration at the sea surface. In addition, it was suggested that the enhanced downward current accompanied by the meso-scale eddies played an important role in transporting the radioactive cesium into the intermediate layer.

Source term estimation of atmospheric release due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident by atmospheric and oceanic dispersion simulations

Kobayashi, Takuya; Nagai, Haruyasu; Chino, Masamichi; Kawamura, Hideyuki

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 50(3), p.255 - 264, 2013/03

AA2012-0777.pdf:1.24MB

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2013.772449

The source term of the atmospheric release of I and Cs due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident estimated by previous studies was validated and refined by coupling atmospheric and oceanic dispersion simulations with observed Cs in seawater collected from the Pacific Ocean. By assuming the same release rate for Cs and Cs, the sea surface concentration of Cs was calculated using the previously estimated source term and was compared with measurement data. The release rate of Cs was refined to reduce underestimation of measurements, which resulted in a larger value than that previously estimated. In addition, the release rate of I was refined to follow the radioactivity ratio of Cs. As a result, the total amounts of I and Cs discharged into the atmosphere from 5 JST on March 12 to 0 JST on March 20 were estimated to be approximately 2.010 and 1.310 Bq, respectively.