Impacts of the Fukushima nuclear power plant discharges on the ocean
Impacts of the Fukushima nuclear power plant discharges on the ocean
Editor(s): K. Buesseler, H. Nies, M. Aoyama, P. Povinec, and M. Dai
The triple disaster of the 11 March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent radiation releases at Fukushima Dai-ichi are unprecedented events for the oceans. This special issue (SI) seeks to bring together manuscripts focused on the impacts and fate of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant radionuclides that were released to the ocean. This includes studies of the relative path and magnitude of the radioactive releases, range of radionuclides released, dose assessments, levels of contaminants in the sea water, sediment and biota, dispersion patterns measured and predicted for both near and far fields. Related studies of atmospheric transport pathways and deposition on land, as they relate to ocean studies, are also appropriate for this SI. Studies of the transport of radionuclides to the ocean via rivers, run-off and groundwater are also appropriate. Manuscripts can include both field and modeling results, as well as new radionuclide analytical methods used to understand the impacts of Fukushima radionuclides on the oceans.

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23 Sep 2014
Spatial variability and the fate of cesium in coastal sediments near Fukushima, Japan
E. E. Black and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 11, 5123–5137, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5123-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5123-2014, 2014
11 Sep 2014
The 129-iodine content of subtropical Pacific waters: impact of Fukushima and other anthropogenic 129-iodine sources
T. P. Guilderson, S. J. Tumey, T. A. Brown, and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 11, 4839–4852, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4839-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4839-2014, 2014
02 Oct 2013
Export of 134 Cs and 137 Cs in the Fukushima river systems at heavy rains by Typhoon Roke in September 2011
S. Nagao, M. Kanamori, S. Ochiai, S. Tomihara, K. Fukushi, and M. Yamamoto
Biogeosciences, 10, 6215–6223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6215-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6215-2013, 2013
26 Sep 2013
Continuing 137 Cs release to the sea from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant through 2012
J. Kanda
Biogeosciences, 10, 6107–6113, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6107-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6107-2013, 2013
23 Sep 2013
Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
J. Kameník, H. Dulaiova, K.O. Buesseler, S. M. Pike, and K. Št'astná
Biogeosciences, 10, 6045–6052, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6045-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6045-2013, 2013
29 Aug 2013
Horizontal distribution of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in zooplankton in the northwestern Pacific Ocean
M. Kitamura, Y. Kumamoto, H. Kawakami, E. C. Cruz, and K. Fujikura
Biogeosciences, 10, 5729–5738, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5729-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5729-2013, 2013
23 Aug 2013
One-year, regional-scale simulation of 137Cs radioactivity in the ocean following the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
D. Tsumune, T. Tsubono, M. Aoyama, M. Uematsu, K. Misumi, Y. Maeda, Y. Yoshida, and H. Hayami
Biogeosciences, 10, 5601–5617, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5601-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5601-2013, 2013
15 Aug 2013
Cesium, iodine and tritium in NW Pacific waters – a comparison of the Fukushima impact with global fallout
P. P. Povinec, M. Aoyama, D. Biddulph, R. Breier, K. Buesseler, C. C. Chang, R. Golser, X. L. Hou, M. Ješkovský, A. J. T. Jull, J. Kaizer, M. Nakano, H. Nies, L. Palcsu, L. Papp, M. K. Pham, P. Steier, and L. Y. Zhang
Biogeosciences, 10, 5481–5496, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5481-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5481-2013, 2013
14 Aug 2013
Initial spread of 137Cs from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant over the Japan continental shelf: a study using a high-resolution, global-coastal nested ocean model
Z. Lai, C. Chen, R. Beardsley, H. Lin, R. Ji, J. Sasaki, and J. Lin
Biogeosciences, 10, 5439–5449, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5439-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5439-2013, 2013
13 Aug 2013
Does the Fukushima NPP disaster affect the caesium activity of North Atlantic Ocean fish?
G. Kanisch and M.-O. Aust
Biogeosciences, 10, 5399–5410, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5399-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5399-2013, 2013
25 Jul 2013
Spatiotemporal distributions of Fukushima-derived radionuclides in nearby marine surface sediments
M. Kusakabe, S. Oikawa, H. Takata, and J. Misonoo
Biogeosciences, 10, 5019–5030, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5019-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5019-2013, 2013
25 Jul 2013
Distribution of the Fukushima-derived radionuclides in seawater in the Pacific off the coast of Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki Prefectures, Japan
S. Oikawa, H. Takata, T. Watabe, J. Misonoo, and M. Kusakabe
Biogeosciences, 10, 5031–5047, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5031-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5031-2013, 2013
24 Jul 2013
Short-term dispersal of Fukushima-derived radionuclides off Japan: modeling efforts and model-data intercomparison
I. I. Rypina, S. R. Jayne, S. Yoshida, A. M. Macdonald, E. Douglass, and K. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 4973–4990, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4973-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4973-2013, 2013
22 Jul 2013
The impact of oceanic circulation and phase transfer on the dispersion of radionuclides released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant
Y. Choi, S. Kida, and K. Takahashi
Biogeosciences, 10, 4911–4925, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4911-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4911-2013, 2013
27 Jun 2013
Direct observation of 134Cs and 137Cs in surface seawater in the western and central North Pacific after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident
H. Kaeriyama, D. Ambe, Y. Shimizu, K. Fujimoto, T. Ono, S. Yonezaki, Y. Kato, H. Matsunaga, H. Minami, S. Nakatsuka, and T. Watanabe
Biogeosciences, 10, 4287–4295, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4287-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4287-2013, 2013
14 Jun 2013
Iodine-129 concentration in seawater near Fukushima before and after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
T. Suzuki, S. Otosaka, J. Kuwabara, H. Kawamura, and T. Kobayashi
Biogeosciences, 10, 3839–3847, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3839-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3839-2013, 2013
13 Jun 2013
Natural and Fukushima-derived radioactivity in macroalgae and mussels along the Japanese shoreline
Z. Baumann, N. Casacuberta, H. Baumann, P. Masqué, and N. S. Fisher
Biogeosciences, 10, 3809–3815, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3809-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3809-2013, 2013
03 Jun 2013
Concentration and vertical flux of Fukushima-derived radiocesium in sinking particles from two sites in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean
M. C. Honda, H. Kawakami, S. Watanabe, and T. Saino
Biogeosciences, 10, 3525–3534, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3525-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3525-2013, 2013
03 Jun 2013
90Sr and 89Sr in seawater off Japan as a consequence of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident
N. Casacuberta, P. Masqué, J. Garcia-Orellana, R. Garcia-Tenorio, and K.O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 3649–3659, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3649-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3649-2013, 2013
07 May 2013
| Highlight paper
Surface pathway of radioactive plume of TEPCO Fukushima NPP1 released 134Cs and 137Cs
M. Aoyama, M. Uematsu, D. Tsumune, and Y. Hamajima
Biogeosciences, 10, 3067–3078, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3067-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3067-2013, 2013
15 Apr 2013
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Vertical distributions of plutonium isotopes in marine sediment cores off the Fukushima coast after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
W. T. Bu, J. Zheng, T. Aono, K. Tagami, S. Uchida, J. Zhang, M. C. Honda, Q. J. Guo, and M. Yamada
Biogeosciences, 10, 2497–2511, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2497-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2497-2013, 2013
09 Apr 2013
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Inverse estimation of source parameters of oceanic radioactivity dispersion models associated with the Fukushima accident
Y. Miyazawa, Y. Masumoto, S. M. Varlamov, T. Miyama, M. Takigawa, M. Honda, and T. Saino
Biogeosciences, 10, 2349–2363, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2349-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2349-2013, 2013
28 Mar 2013
Radium-based estimates of cesium isotope transport and total direct ocean discharges from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident
M. A. Charette, C. F. Breier, P. B. Henderson, S. M. Pike, I. I. Rypina, S. R. Jayne, and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 2159–2167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2159-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2159-2013, 2013
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