137Cs Concentrations In Water Research Articles

Applicability of reconstruction of temporal changes in 137Cs concentrations in pond water based on the vertical distribution of bottom sediments: a case in three ponds in the Fukushima evacuation zone.

Long-term changes in particulate and dissolved 137Cs concentrations in rivers and dam reservoirs have been reconstructed using 137Cs depth distributions in bottom sediments near Chornobyl and Fukushima. However, few studies have applied this method to pond water. This study tested the applicability of this reconstruction method in ponds within the Fukushima evacuation zone. Bottom sediments in ponds were collected in November 2019. Our reconstruction of a shallow closed pond disagreed with our observations. Even in ponds where the reconstruction agreed well with observations, underestimations may have occurred because the time constant for the decrease in 137Cs concentration was lower than those previously reported. We conclude that the present reconstruction method may be applied to deeper Fukushima ponds with inflow and outflow, but underestimations of initial 137Cs concentrations in water may lead to uncertainties. For realistic reconstruction, attention should be paid to pond characteristics, catchment conditions, and sediment core selection.

Distinct food-web transfers of 137Cs to fish in river and lake ecosystems: A case study focusing on masu salmon in the Fukushima evacuation zone

This study was conducted to elucidate the spatial and size variations, and food-web transfer of 137Cs in freshwater fish in the upper reaches of the Ukedo River system, a highly contaminated river system flowing through the Fukushima evacuation zone. Fish collection and environmental surveys were conducted in the summer of 2020 at five forest rivers and at the Ogaki Dam reservoir (an artificial lake) with different air dose rates (mean 0.20–3.32 μSv/h). From the river sites, two salmonid species (masu salmon and white-spotted charr) were sampled, with masu salmon generally exhibiting higher 137Cs concentrations, ranging widely (10.6 Bq/kg-wet to 13.0 kBq/kg-wet) depending on the fish size (size effect) and site. The 137Cs concentrations in masu salmon were explained by the air dose rates, 137Cs concentrations in water, sediments (excluding the lake site), and primary producers, with site-specific variations. In the rivers, masu salmon (fluvial type with parr marks) mainly fed on terrestrial insects with higher 137Cs concentrations compared with those of aquatic insects, indicating that 137Cs was transferred mainly to fish through the allochthonous forest food-web during summer. In the lake, masu salmon (lake-run type with larger size and silvery body coloration) mainly preyed on smaller fish with lower 137Cs concentrations, demonstrating that 137Cs is transferred to fish through the autochthonous lake food-web with biomagnification. Differences in 137Cs concentrations among masu salmon (mean 441 Bq/kg-wet) and other fish species (mean 74.8 Bq/kg-wet to 2.35 kBq/kg-wet) were also found in the lake. The distinct 137Cs transfers to river and lake fish were supported by stable isotope analysis: δ15N and δ13C values enriched stepwisely through the food-webs were, respectively, higher and lower in the lake. Our results obtained using multiple approaches clearly revealed the distinct food-web transfer of 137Cs in river and lake ecosystems. These findings can contribute to prediction of radioactive contamination in freshwater fish in the Fukushima evacuation zone.

Transport and Fate of 137Cs Released From Multiple Sources in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans

The North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, along with the North Pacific, are the main reservoirs of anthropogenic radionuclides introduced in the past 75 years. The POSEIDON-R compartment model was applied to the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans to reconstruct 137Cs contamination in 1945–2020 due to multiple sources: global fallout, exchange flows with other oceans, point-source inputs in the ocean from reprocessing plants and other nuclear facilities, the impact of the Chernobyl accident and secondary contamination resulting from river runoff and redissolution from bottom sediments. The model simulated the marine environment as a system of 3D compartments comprising the water column, bottom sediment, and biota. The dynamic model described the transfer of 137Cs through the pelagic and benthic food chains. The simulation results were validated using the marine database MARIS. The calculated concentrations of 137Cs in the seaweed and non-piscivorous and piscivorous pelagic fish mostly followed the concentration of 137Cs in water. The concentration in coastal predator fish lagged behind the concentration in water as a result of a diet that includes both pelagic and benthic organisms. The impact of each considered source on the total concentration of 137Cs in non-piscivorous fish in the regions of interest was analyzed. Whereas the contribution from global fallout dominated in 1960–1970, in 1970–1990, the contribution of 137Cs released from reprocessing plants exceeded the contributions from other sources in almost all considered regions. Secondary contamination due to river runoff was less than 4% of ocean influx. The maximum total inventory of 137Cs in the Arctic Ocean (31,122 TBq) was reached in 1988, whereas the corresponding inventory in the bottom sediment was approximately 6% of the total. The general agreement between simulated and observed 137Cs concentrations in water and bottom sediment was confirmed by the estimates of geometric mean and geometric standard deviation, which varied from 0.89 to 1.29 and from 1.22 to 1.87, respectively. The approach used is useful to synthesize measurement and simulation data in areas with observational gaps. For this purpose, 13 representative regions in the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans were selected for monitoring by using the “etalon” method for classification.

Assessment of multiple anthropogenic contaminants and their potential genotoxicity in the aquatic environment of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.

In this study, the influence of anthropogenic pollution on the aquatic environment of Plitvice Lakes National Park (PLNP) was investigated during 2011-2012 using a combination of chemical and cytogenetic analyses. Four groups of major contaminants [(volatile organic compounds: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX); persistent organochlorine pollutants: organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); major and trace elements; anthropogenic radionuclides (90Sr, 134Cs, and 137Cs)] were determined in three aquatic compartments (water, sediment, fish). Mass fractions of inorganic constituents in different compartments reflected the geological background of the area, indicating their origin from predominantly natural sources. Levels of volatile and persistent organic compounds in water and fish, respectively, were very low, at levels typical for remote pristine areas. Analysis of anthropogenic radionuclides in water and sediment revealed elevated activity concentrations of 137Cs in water, and measurable 134Cs in the upper sediment layers from April 2011, possibly as a consequence of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011. The potential genotoxicity of river and lake water and lake sediment was assessed under laboratory conditions using the alkaline comet assay on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and measured levels of primary DNA damage were within acceptable boundaries. The results showed that despite the protected status of the park, anthropogenic impact exists in both its terrestrial and aquatic components. Although contaminant levels were low, further monitoring is recommended to make sure that they will not rise and cause potentially hazardous anthropogenic impacts.

The behaviour of 137Cs in the North Atlantic Ocean assessed from numerical modelling: Releases from nuclear fuel reprocessing factories, redissolution from contaminated sediments and leakage from dumped nuclear wastes

A Lagrangian model which simulates the dispersion of 137Cs in the North Atlantic has been developed. The model includes water/sediment interactions. It has been tested comparing calculated and measured 137Cs concentrations in water and sediments of the European Shelf resulting after the releases from the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants of Sellafield and La Hague. Some additional numerical experiments have been carried out. First, the redissolution of 137Cs from contaminated sediments after the reduction in releases from the reprocessing plants has been studied. This allowed to calculate effective half-lives of 137Cs in several sub-basins. Later, potential leakage of 137Cs from dumped nuclear wastes in several locations of the Atlantic has been investigated. Even in worst-case scenarios, these leakages should not lead to any radiological implications.

Behavior of dissolved radiocesium in river water in a forested watershed in Fukushima Prefecture

AbstractDissolved radiocesium concentrations in river water in a high‐dose‐rate forest watershed in Fukushima Prefecture were investigated under base flow and storm flow conditions. Under base flow conditions, dissolved 137Cs concentrations in water (Bq/L) were relatively high in summer, and these levels were higher than particulate 137Cs concentrations (Bq/L). Under storm flow, particulate 137Cs concentration became dominant as the suspended solid concentration increased. Throughout the monitoring period, dissolved 137Cs concentrations in water (Bq/L) were higher under storm flow than base flow conditions and were positively correlated with runoff intensity. Factors influencing changes in dissolved 137Cs concentrations were investigated by measuring the 137Cs concentration of suspended solid (Bq/kg) and dissolved 137Cs of unsaturated soil water, throughfall, and rainfall, together with other main solute concentrations. The 137Cs concentration per unit weight of suspended solids in river water was not strongly correlated with runoff intensity. Additionally, dissolved 137Cs concentrations of soil water, groundwater, and rainfall were not detected, while higher dissolved 137Cs concentrations were detected in throughfall than river water. K+ concentrations were higher under storm flow than base flow, and dissolved organic carbon increased toward the peak flow rate. These findings suggested that one main factor influencing generation of dissolved 137Cs in the river water was leaching from organic material in flooded areas. However, further investigation is needed to clarify the dominant source of dissolved 137Cs in river water.

Sorption-diffusion model of 137Cs uptake by a water body bottom in estimations of water contamination

For a sample including 22 lakes, the 137Cs concentrations in water were determined by the sorption-diffusion model. The 137Cs levels in waters of lakes of the Kola Peninsula and Karelian Isthmus are satisfactorily described by the suggested model at the distribution coefficient K d of 4000 L kg−1 and diffusion coefficient D of 1.0 × 10−7 cm2 s−1 for 2–4-year exposure. For mid-latitude lakes, the ranges of K d and D of 137Cs were 6000–1200 L kg−1 and 1.0 × 10−7–0.2 × 10−7 cm2 s−1, respectively. The 137Cs concentration in water is determined by the major contribution of silts, which are characterized by high K d of 137Cs and by large thickness of sediments on the bottom of lake hollows, to the watter-bottom sorption system. After 2-year exposure of “Chernobyl” 137Cs in lakes, its inventory in water relative to the amount that fell out in 1986 did not exceed 14% for deep lakes and 2–3.6% for shallow lakes.

Regional long-term model of radioactivity dispersion and fate in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: application to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident

The compartment model POSEIDON-R was modified and applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of radioactivity in the period 1945–2010, and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of radioactivity due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for the period 2011–2040. The model predicts the dispersion of radioactivity in the water column and in sediments, the transfer of radionuclides throughout the marine food web, and subsequent doses to humans due to the consumption of marine products. A generic predictive dynamic food-chain model is used instead of the biological concentration factor (BCF) approach. The radionuclide uptake model for fish has as a central feature the accumulation of radionuclides in the target tissue. The three layer structure of the water column makes it possible to describe the vertical structure of radioactivity in deep waters. In total 175 compartments cover the Northwestern Pacific, the East China and Yellow Seas and the East/Japan Sea. The model was validated from 137Cs data for the period 1945–2010. Calculated concentrations of 137Cs in water, bottom sediments and marine organisms in the coastal compartment, before and after the accident, are in close agreement with measurements from the Japanese agencies. The agreement for water is achieved when an additional continuous flux of 3.6 TBq y−1 is used for underground leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, during the three years following the accident. The dynamic food web model predicts that due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web, the concentration of 137Cs for piscivorous fishes returns to background level only in 2016. For the year 2011, the calculated individual dose rate for Fukushima Prefecture due to consumption of fishery products is 3.6 μSv y−1. Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident the collective dose due to ingestion of marine products for Japan increased in 2011 by a factor of 6 in comparison with 2010.

Development of a method for rapid and simultaneous monitoring of particulate and dissolved radiocesium in water with nonwoven fabric cartridge filters

A method for the rapid and simultaneous monitoring of particulate and dissolved 137Cs concentration in water was developed. This method uses pleated polypropylene nonwoven fabric filter to collect particulate radiocesium, and nonwoven fabric impregnated with Prussian blue (PB) to absorb dissolved radiocesium. The fabric was placed into cylindrical plastic cartridges (SS-cartridge and PB-cartridge). Traditional monitoring methods, such as evaporative concentration, often require time for pre-processing. However, this method described requires much less pre-processing time before the detection. Experiments conducted with simulated river water demonstrated that almost all of the suspended solids weight was collected in the SS-cartridge, and that more than 92 % of dissolved 137Cs was absorbed onto the two PB-cartridges by 2.5 L/min flow rate when the range of the pH was 6–8. This device was applied to monitor Abukuma River water at two locations and the results were compared with those obtained using the filtrating and evaporative concentration method. The suspended solids concentration in river water, calculated by weight gain of the SS-cartridge and by sediment weight after filtration with a 0.45-μm membrane filter, agreed well. The radioactivity of the particulate and dissolved 137Cs also agreed well in one of the two replications of this method. In addition, the required time for pre-processing was reduced by 60 times that by filtrating and evaporative concentration method. This method can separately collect and concentrate particulate and dissolved radiocesium rapidly and simultaneously in the field.

Transfer of 137Cs from water to fish is not linear in two northern lakes

Empirical data on the behavior of radionuclides in the biosphere are needed for validating radioecological models. In this study, data collected from two lakes in Northern Finland were used to investigate the transfer of 137Cs from lake water into fish during a 20-year period after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The results indicated that transfer of 137Cs in the food chains investigated is nonlinear: the water-to-fish concentration ratios (CRs) decreased with increasing 137Cs concentration in water. Major deviation from linearity (constant CR) commonly assumed in radioecological modeling was observed only at low 137Cs concentrations in water. Other findings of potential importance for radioecological models were that 137Cs concentrations were threefold higher in piscivores than in non-piscivores and that no differences in 137Cs uptake were found between the two piscivorous species (pike and perch) studied or between three non-piscivorous species (vendace, white fish, and roach) representing different feeding habits (planktivore, benthivore, and mixed diet).

137Cs in deep-water lakes: Analysis of the peculiarities of water contamination and purification

The assessment of 137Cs concentration in water based on the model of radionuclide absorption by the bottom sediment of a closed water body is applicable to deep-water lakes with slower water circulation (the time of water exchange exceeding 10 years). The low river runoff from such lakes does not determine their water purification from 137Cs because of the predominance of the process of 137Cs sorption by suspension and bottom sediment. The contamination of a deep-water arctic lake with global 137Cs is reconstructed.

Radiocaesium in flowing waters of highly contaminated Austrian alpine areas

In this study the runoff of 137Cs, mainly originated from the Chernobyl fallout, from highly contaminated alpine regions in Salzburg (Austria) is discussed. Twenty-five water-samples and 25 sediment-samples were taken from creeks of different size to determine the runoff of dissolved 137Cs and Cs-binding characteristics to different particle size classes in the sediments. The hypothesis, that specific activity of the sediments depended on particle size and the surface of the particle, was proved with some modifications. Caesium activity concentration in water showed a negative correlation with electrical conductivity, while no significant correlations were detectable with other variables (pH, temperature, and altitude). Enormous differences and the variations found in the 137Cs-concentrations in water can be explained by the electrical conductivity without any dependency on the inventory of the catchment. The sediment samples analysed showed a negative correlation between specific activity [Bq/kg] and particle-diameter, mainly explained by 137Cs-uptake proportional to the particle surface per mass.

陸水系における｀１３７´Ｃｓの放射生態に関する研究 県内１湖沼の各種試料中における｀１３７´Ｃｓの放射能

The concentrations of 137Cs in water, sediment and fishes at the pond in Saitama prefecture were determined in order to elucidate the radioecology of 137Cs in limnological ecosystems.137Cs concentration in water was 0.31±0.002 mBq/l (mean±standard error), and so indicated about 3 times higher than that (0.10mBq/l) for the river in our previous report. 137Cs concentrations in sediment, carp, Cyprinus carpio, crucian carp, Carassius auratus cuvieri, and Hakuren, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, were about 20000, 1200, 2 400 and 3100 times higher than that of the water, respectively. These concentrations were higher than those of each sample for the river in our previous report. It was so suggested that137 Cs tended to be accumulated in these samples at the pond more than the nuclide in the river.Moreover, concentration ratios, concentration of137Cs in sediment, crucian carp and Hakuren to that of the water, were about 30, 2 and 3 times higher than these of 40K, respectively, except for carp of which 137Cs and40K concentration ratios were almost same.These results showed difference in accumulation mechanism between137Cs and40K in these samples, as well as137Cs transfer mechanism in the limnological ecosystems in part.

陸水系における｀１３７´Ｃｓの放射生態に関する研究 県内有数河川‐下流域の河川水，河床土壌および生息生物における｀１３７´Ｃｓの放射能

The concentrations of 137Cs in water, sediment and biota at the lower region of the famous river in Saitama prefecture were determined in order to elucidate the radioecology of 137Cs in limnological ecosystems.137Cs concentration in water was 0.10 mBq/l.137Cs concentrations in sediment, shellfish, Sinotaia quadratus historica (mean for 2 detectable samples), and fish, Carassius auratus cuvieri (mean for 2 detectable samples), were about 6200, 840 and 320 times higher than the concentration of the water, respectively. But 137Cs radioactivity in the crustacea, Procambarus clarki, was significantly not detected.So, 137Cs transfer mechanism in the limnological ecosystems was indicated in part.

Seasonal variations of 137Cs activities in the Dora Baltea River (Northwest Italy) after the chernobyl accident

Concentrations of 137Cs in water were monitored from 1987 to 1991 in the Dora Baltea river (northwest Italy), a river characterized by a catchment area located in a mountainous area which is largely covered with snow and ice in winter. A strong seasonal variation of water contamination was observed. Increased water concentrations in summer were attributed to caesium deposition and accumulation on snow-covered surfaces in winter and a delayed release in summer during ice and snow melting. An attempt of relating the observed cyclical variations with estimated transfer rates from the catchment has also been performed.

Environmental radioactivity in Romania Danube river area during 1986–1990

This paper presents the results of radioactivity studies of environmental factors such as surface water, sediment, aquatic vegetation and soil. The concentrations of137Cs,90Sr,3H, U, Ca, and Mg in water samples were determined by radiochemical and chemical methods. Gamma-spectrometric analyses were performed for all the samples. The analysis showed a decrease in concentrations of137Cs in water, aquatic vegetation and sediment, but a constant level of137Cs activity in soil (0–5 cm depth). The average concentrations of90Sr,3H, U, Ca and Mg were about 7 mBq/l, 11 Bq/l, 0.6 μg/l 60 mg/l and 11 mg/l, respectively.

Concentration factors of 137Cs in river sediment

The concentration factor of the isotope 137Cs in River Danube sediment has been systematically measured for 6 yrs at two locations. A mean value of K = (7.1 ± 4.4) × 10 3 was derived. Neither systematic time variations of the concentration factor, nor any time correlation of the 137Cs concentration in water and sediment could be observed, hence suggesting that the stationary state of this isotope distribution in the Danube is established. The results of the measurements show that the sediment can be considered as a reliable indicator of the radioactive contamination of rivers.