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Sinking velocity of particulate radiocesium in the northwestern North Pacific
Author(s) -
Honda Makio C.,
Kawakami Hajime
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl060126
Subject(s) - particulates , environmental science , sediment , flux (metallurgy) , fukushima nuclear accident , environmental chemistry , oceanography , geology , atmospheric sciences , nuclear power plant , chemistry , geomorphology , ecology , nuclear physics , biology , physics , organic chemistry
Sinking particles (SP) were collected by time series sediment traps at two depths in the northwestern Pacific before and after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and accident‐derived particulate radiocesium was measured. Radiocesium ( 137 Cs) was first detected at 500 m (4810 m) about 2 weeks (1 month) after the accident. 137 Cs of SP collected over 1 year revealed that the time lag between two depths was larger than that for the first 137 Cs detection (about 2 weeks). We estimated the transient sinking velocity (SV) from the cumulative temporal 137 Cs flux and the time lags at the two depths. Although the SV of SP collected in very early period was large, the estimated SV of most particulate 137 Cs (about 80%) was about 50 m d −1 . Based on comparison of 137 Cs concentration in total SP with that in SP without organic materials, we suspect that most of the 137 Cs was likely incorporated into aluminosilicates.