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Temporal changes in the radiocesium distribution in forests over the five years after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

ABSTRACT: To elucidate the temporal changes in the radiocesium distribution in forests contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, we monitored the ¹³⁷Cs concentration and inventory within forests from 2011 to 2015 across nine plots containing variable tree species and different contamination levels. The ¹³⁷Cs concentrations in needles and branches decreased exponentially at all coniferous plots, with effective ecological half-lives of 0.45-1.55 yr for needles and 0.83-1.69 yr for branches. By contrast, the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in deciduous konara oak leaves did not change over the five years. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in oak wood increased by 37-75%, whereas that in Japanese red pine decreased by 63% over the five years. In Japanese cedar and hinoki cypress, the ¹³⁷Cs concentration in wood showed an increasing trend in half of the plots. The changes in ¹³⁷Cs in the organic and mineral soil layers were not strongly related to the tree species or contamination level. Our multi-site, multi-species monitoring results revealed that the pattern of temporal changes in radiocesium in the 9 forest plots was similar overall; however, changes in ¹³⁷Cs in needles/leaves and wood differed among tree species.

SUBMITTER: Imamura N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5557944 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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