Abstract
We have carried out a first simulation of the spatial distributions and the temporal variations of 137Cs concentrations in the North Pacific in off line calculations by using archived output of an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) developed by the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Artificial radionuclides including 137Cs are introduced into ocean surface due to global fallout originating from the large‐scale atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in 1961–1962. The distribution of radioactive deposition used as forcing for this simulation is estimated from global precipitation data and observed values of annual deposition of radionuclides at the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI) in Japan. 137Cs originating from global fallout have been transported into the ocean interior by advection and diffusion, and the 137Cs concentrations reduced by radioactive decay. We assess the skill of the model calculations by comparing simulated values of 137Cs in seawater with the observed values included in the database compiled by MRI because 137Cs is one of the most useful tracers regarding water motion in the ocean. The vertical and horizontal distributions of the calculated 137Cs concentrations were in good agreement with those of the observed 137Cs concentrations, except in the deep layer.
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