Evaluation of sources and seasonal variations of dissolved Cs in stream water in forested catchments

Sakuma, Kazuyuki; Yoshimura, Kazuya; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Hayashi, Seiji*; Tsuji, Hideki*; Funaki, Hironori; Iijima, Kazuki

Science of the Total Environment, 1014, p.181397_1 - 181397_9, 2026/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181397

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident released substantial radiocesium into terrestrial environments in 2011. Understanding the sources of dissolved radiocesium and the factors controlling its seasonal variation in stream water is crucial for assessing and mitigating environmental radioactive contamination. From 2015 to 2021, we investigated dissolved Cs concentrations and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in stream water, spring water, groundwater, litter leachate, soil pore water, and infiltrated water. In the headwater area, dissolved Cs concentrations increased just after spring compared to the concentrations in the groundwater. During approximately three years of stream water monitoring, dissolved Cs concentrations correlated with water temperature, concentrations of DOC, and K. A three-component mixture model revealed that stream water composition is derived mainly from groundwater, leaching from forest litter/surface soil, and soil pore water. The soil pore water particularly influenced summer stream water, likely due to the water table fluctuations with precipitation. The leaching water also influenced the summer stream water compared to the winter stream water. These findings suggest that seasonal variations in dissolved Cs are driven by temperature-dependent leaching from surface forest litter/soil and increased contributions from soil pore water. This study is the first to identify the sources and seasonal drivers of dissolved Cs in forested headwater streams.

Assessment of suspended sediment and Cs sources during the flood event in the Fukushima river using C and C

Nakanishi, Takahiro; Tsuruta, Tadahiko; Funaki, Hironori

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 7 Pages, 2025/07

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-025-10253-5

In this study, the radiocarbon isotope ratio, C, was used to identify the sources of suspended sediment and Cs discharged into rivers after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Suspended sediments were collected during the flood event and under normal water conditions to determine Cs concentrations, C, and stable carbon isotope ratios. The results indicated that the contribution of forest surface soil runoff increased during the flood peak. Furthermore, the distribution of Cs deposition in the watershed was reflected in temporal changes in suspended Cs concentration during the flood event. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of both Cs and carbon dynamics.

Application of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) for the dynamic speciation of radioactive cesium in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Tanaka, Takuro*; Fukuoka, Masafumi*; Toda, Kanako*; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Terashima, Motoki; Fujiwara, Kenso; Niwano, Yuma*; Kato, Hiroaki*; Kobayashi, Natsuko*; Tanoi, Keitaro*; et al.

ACS ES&T Water (Internet), 4(8), p.3579 - 3586, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00453

Development of a radiation tolerant laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system using a single crystal micro-chip laser for remote elemental analysis

Tamura, Koji; Nakanishi, Ryuzo; Oba, Hironori; Karino, Takahiro; Shibata, Takuya; Taira, Takunori*; Wakaida, Ikuo

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 61(8), p.1109 - 1116, 2024/08

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2023.2298485

Investigation of sorption behavior of Cs in a river-sea system boundary area after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Takata, Hyoe*; Wakiyama, Yoshifumi*; Wada, Toshihiro*; Hirao, Shigekazu*; Aono, Tatsuo*; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Misono, Toshiharu; Shiribiki, Takehiko; Aoyama, Michio*

Marine Chemistry, 262, p.104384_1 - 104384_6, 2024/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2024.104384

Summary report in FY2022 of subsidy program for the Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management "Development of Analysis and Estimation Technology for Characterization of Fuel Debris (Development of Technologies for Enhanced Analysis Accuracy, Thermal behavior Estimation, and Simplified Analysis of Fuel Debris)" started in FY2021

Koyama, Shinichi; Ikeuchi, Hirotomo; Mitsugi, Takeshi; Maeda, Koji; Sasaki, Shinji; Onishi, Takashi; Tsai, T.-H.; Takano, Masahide; Fukaya, Hiroyuki; Nakamura, Satoshi; et al.

Hairo, Osensui, Shorisui Taisaku Jigyo Jimukyoku Homu Peji (Internet), 216 Pages, 2023/11

https://en.dccc-program.jp/wp-content/uploads/20231117_JAEA.pdf

In FY 2021 and 2022, JAEA perfomed the subsidy program for "the Project of Decommissioning and Contaminated Water Management (Development of Analysis and Estimation Technology for Characterization of Fuel Debris (Development of Technologies for Enhanced Analysis Accuracy, Thermal Behavior Estimation, and Abbreviated Analysis))" started in FY 2021. This presentation material summarized the results of the project, which will be available shortly on the website of Management Office for the Project of Decommissioning, Contaminated Water and Treated Water Management.

Factors regulating the concentration of particulate iodine in coastal seawater

Sato, Yuhi*; Otosaka, Shigeyoshi*; Suzuki, Takashi; Nakanishi, Takahiro

Limnology and Oceanography, 68(7), p.1580 - 1594, 2023/07

https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12369

To investigate the factors regulating the concentration of particulate iodine (PI) in seawater, it was measured in two Pacific coastal areas adjacent to Japan in two seasons along with parameters such as particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PON), dissolved iodine (DI), and phytoplankton pigments. The dataset was divided in three groups namely, lower (Group A), average (Group B), and higher (Group C) atomic ratios of PI to POC (I/C). The three groups were characterized by phytoplanktonic physiological states as highly productive, steady, and senescent states, respectively. Based on the finding that PI production is associated with the phytoplankton physiological state, the seasonal and regional differences in PI concentration and I/C in the observation areas were consistently explained. Finally, we suggest that the phytoplanktonic physiological state is one of the vital factors regulating the PI concentration in seawater.

Thirty-year simulation of environmental fate of Cs in the Abukuma River basin considering the characteristics of Cs behavior in land uses

Ikenoue, Tsubasa; Shimadera, Hikari*; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Kondo, Akira*

Science of the Total Environment, 876, p.162846_1 - 162846_12, 2023/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162846

We conducted 30 years simulation of environmental fate of Cs in the Abukuma River basin considering the characteristics of the Cs behavior in land uses. Overall, in the Abukuma River basin, the Cs transported into the ocean for 30 years was estimated to correspond to 4.6% of the initial deposition in the basin, and the effective half-life of Cs deposited in the basin was estimated to be 3.7 years shorter (by 11.6%) than its physical half-life. These results suggested that Cs deposited from the accident could still remain for decades. Based on the analysis of the Cs behavior in land use, in 2011, the contribution of Cs export to the ocean from urban lands was estimated to correspond to 70% of the total Cs export. Meanwhile, from 2012 to 2040, the contribution of Cs export from agricultural lands was estimated to correspond to 75% of the total Cs export. The reduction ratios excluding radioactive decay of Cs remained in areas with and without human activities for 30 years after the accident, defined as the ratios of the total outflow to the initial deposition, were estimated to be 11.5%-17.7% and 0.4%-1.4%, respectively. These results suggested that human activities enhance the reduction of Cs remaining in land in the past and future.

Survey on the radioactive substance in the coastal areas near Fukushima Prefecture in FY2021

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

JAEA-Research 2022-010, 134 Pages, 2023/02

JAEA-Research-2022-010.pdf:8.45MB

An accident occurred at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F) in 2011 and a large amount of radioactive materials were deposited around the 1F. Japan Atomic Energy Agency has continued to conduct research on the dynamics of radioactive materials after the accident. This report summarizes the results of the survey conducted in FY 2021 on the status of marine monitoring survey on radioactive substances. Furthermore, a seabed topography and sediments distribution survey was conducted in the coastal area off the Mano River from the Ohta River to understand the topography and sediment distribution. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the inflow of radioactive Cs from the river, the horizontal distribution of the radioactive Cs concentration on the surface sediment in front of the rivers was measured. As basic information on the effects of radioactive materials on marine products, the distribution status of fish was investigated. In addition, a demonstration test of water sampling and sediment sampling was conducted using an unmanned observation vessel. From these results, we estimated the distribution and its dynamics of radioactive Cs in the sediments in the front area on the 1F.

A New approach to extracting biofilm from environmental plastics using ultrasound-assisted syringe treatment for isotopic analyses

Battulga, B.; Atarashi-Andoh, Mariko; Nakanishi, Takahiro; Koarashi, Jun

Science of the Total Environment, 849, p.157758_1 - 157758_11, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157758

Characterizing plastic-associated biofilms is key to the better understanding of organic material and mineral cycling in the "Plastisphere"-the thin layer of microbial life on plastics. In this study, we propose a new method to extract biofilms from environmental plastics, in order to evaluate the properties of biofilm-derived organic matter through stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope signatures and their interactions with radionuclides especially radiocesium (Cs). After ultrasound-assisted separation from the plastics, biofilm samples were successfully collected via a sequence of syringe treatments. Biofilm-derived organic matter samples (14.5-65.4 mg) from four river mouths in Japan showed Cs activity concentrations of 75 to 820 Bq kg biofilm (dw), providing evidence that environmental plastics, mediated by developed biofilms, serve as a carrier for Cs in the coastal environment. Significant differences in the (C and N signatures were also obtained for the biofilms, indicating the different sources, pathways, and development processes of biofilms on plastics.