While this was an indication of an unusual level of radioactivity due to atmospheric releases from the Dai-ichi NPP, the levels were considered safe and well below public health concerns. Other monitors around the Pacific islands showed a similar response. Around March 20, 2011, the levels of beta radiation started increasing and the peak lasted for about one week, after which radiation in air returned to background levels ( see Figure 1). This detection varies from background and historical data in Hawaiʻi.” Radiation monitors in Hilo and Honolulu operate continuously and measure beta radiation-emitting radionuclides in the air that come from both natural and man-made sources. On March 22, 2011, the EPA reported that, “As of 6:30pm (EDT) preliminary monitor results in Hawaiʻi detected minuscule levels of an isotope that is consistent with the Japanese nuclear incident. and Pacific Islands, particularly in Guam, Saipan, Hawaiʻi, Alaska, Washington, California, Idaho, Nevada, and even on the east coast in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) across the U.S. Fukushima-related radionuclides in the atmosphere were registered by air- and rainwater monitoring systems operated by the U.S. It was only a matter of days before radiation in the air dispersed across the northern hemisphere. The areas highlighted in red show several gamma-peaks, some from natural radioactivity in the ocean as well as cesium-134 and cesium-137.Ītmospheric contamination arising from the accident was picked up by air masses, and about 80% of it was carried over the Pacific Ocean where it got deposited or carried further by winds. Water samples were analyzed by a gamma-spectrometer, which can identify each cesium isotope based on its gamma-radiation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these funding agencies. National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant number RAPID OCE-1137412, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Another source where you can learn more about the effects that Fukushima had on Hawaiʻi is the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) at. If you are interested in learning about the propagation of these isotopes through the food chain and reading an interesting story on tuna migration, please see the special issue of Oceanus prepared by colleagues and collaborators from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. These results report on radiocesium activities in ocean water. Cesium-134 and 137 activities in the central North Pacific Ocean after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident. The data presented here have been published in the Special Issue of Biogeosciences: Impacts of the Fukushima nuclear power plant discharges on the ocean and can be cited as follows:Ĭitation: Kamenik, J., H. The radioactive isotopes, or radionuclides, that escaped in the highest amounts were iodine-131 (I-131), cesium-137 (Cs-137), and cesium-134 (Cs-134). This was the largest accidental release of radioactivity into the ocean ever. There were several subsequent leaks of highly radioactive water into the ocean. To suppress further overheating they were cooled by sea water, which then drained into the ocean carrying radioactivity with it. Three reactors experienced partial core meltdown. Several reactor units and their containments were damaged by hydrogen explosions, which allowed radioactive gases to escape into the atmosphere. The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011, led to power failures that prevented the proper cooling of several reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Authors: Henrietta Dulai, Jan Kamenik, and Kamila Stastnaĭepartment of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaiʻi at MānoaĮ-mail: than 1,000 gallons of sea water were processed for cesium analysis in Dulai’s lab between March 20.
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