The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident
Abstract Absolute-age dating horizons play a pillar role in the reconstruction of an ice core chronology. In the modern era, these have included the global fallout from massive volcanic eruptions, atmospheric and marine thermonuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents. After the occurrence of the...
Published in: | Environmental Research Letters |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
IOP Publishing
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9/pdf |
id |
crioppubl:10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crioppubl:10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 2024-06-02T08:08:09+00:00 The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident Wang, Feiteng Ming, Jing Edwards, Ross Li, Zhongqin Wang, Ninglian Chinese Academy of Sciences SKLCS funding National Natural Science Foundation of China 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9/pdf unknown IOP Publishing http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://iopscience.iop.org/info/page/text-and-data-mining Environmental Research Letters volume 15, issue 8, page 084016 ISSN 1748-9326 journal-article 2020 crioppubl https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 2024-05-07T13:57:08Z Abstract Absolute-age dating horizons play a pillar role in the reconstruction of an ice core chronology. In the modern era, these have included the global fallout from massive volcanic eruptions, atmospheric and marine thermonuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents. After the occurrence of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident (FDNA) on March 11 2011, the simulation of the radioactivity from the FDNA by a dispersion model (HYSPLIT) shows that the nuclides reached the study area in late March, consistent with the ground measurements in Xi’an, Lanzhou and Urumqi. To investigate the deposition of radioactivity resulting from the FDNA, we collected snowpack samples from four glaciers (i.e. Glacier No. 1, Glacier No. 72, Qiyi and Shiyi glaciers, respectively) in northwestern China and analysed them for total β activity (TBA). The measured TBA in the FDNA layers were increased by two to four times, compared with the averages in the non-FDNA layers. We revisited Glacier No. 1 in 2018 and studied a much deeper snow-pit profile for the TBA, seven years after the first-time investigation into a relatively shallow snow pit in 2011. The TBA concentrated in a dust layer and became more significant in 2018 compared to that in 2011. We compared the TBA in Glacier No. 1 with that in the Muztagata glacier from the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and the depositions of radioactivity in the two High-Asian glaciers were comparable. We conclude that the FDNA formed a distinctly new lasting reference in the snow, which could help date the snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere. Article in Journal/Newspaper ice core IOP Publishing Fukushima Pillar ENVELOPE(166.217,166.217,-77.583,-77.583) Environmental Research Letters 15 8 084016 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
IOP Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crioppubl |
language |
unknown |
description |
Abstract Absolute-age dating horizons play a pillar role in the reconstruction of an ice core chronology. In the modern era, these have included the global fallout from massive volcanic eruptions, atmospheric and marine thermonuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents. After the occurrence of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident (FDNA) on March 11 2011, the simulation of the radioactivity from the FDNA by a dispersion model (HYSPLIT) shows that the nuclides reached the study area in late March, consistent with the ground measurements in Xi’an, Lanzhou and Urumqi. To investigate the deposition of radioactivity resulting from the FDNA, we collected snowpack samples from four glaciers (i.e. Glacier No. 1, Glacier No. 72, Qiyi and Shiyi glaciers, respectively) in northwestern China and analysed them for total β activity (TBA). The measured TBA in the FDNA layers were increased by two to four times, compared with the averages in the non-FDNA layers. We revisited Glacier No. 1 in 2018 and studied a much deeper snow-pit profile for the TBA, seven years after the first-time investigation into a relatively shallow snow pit in 2011. The TBA concentrated in a dust layer and became more significant in 2018 compared to that in 2011. We compared the TBA in Glacier No. 1 with that in the Muztagata glacier from the Chernobyl accident in 1986, and the depositions of radioactivity in the two High-Asian glaciers were comparable. We conclude that the FDNA formed a distinctly new lasting reference in the snow, which could help date the snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere. |
author2 |
Chinese Academy of Sciences SKLCS funding National Natural Science Foundation of China |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wang, Feiteng Ming, Jing Edwards, Ross Li, Zhongqin Wang, Ninglian |
spellingShingle |
Wang, Feiteng Ming, Jing Edwards, Ross Li, Zhongqin Wang, Ninglian The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
author_facet |
Wang, Feiteng Ming, Jing Edwards, Ross Li, Zhongqin Wang, Ninglian |
author_sort |
Wang, Feiteng |
title |
The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
title_short |
The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
title_full |
The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
title_fullStr |
The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
title_full_unstemmed |
The fallout from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the Chernobyl accident |
title_sort |
fallout from fukushima daiichi nuclear accident profiles a new dating reference in ice and comparison with the chernobyl accident |
publisher |
IOP Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9/pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(166.217,166.217,-77.583,-77.583) |
geographic |
Fukushima Pillar |
geographic_facet |
Fukushima Pillar |
genre |
ice core |
genre_facet |
ice core |
op_source |
Environmental Research Letters volume 15, issue 8, page 084016 ISSN 1748-9326 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://iopscience.iop.org/info/page/text-and-data-mining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab83a9 |
container_title |
Environmental Research Letters |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
084016 |
_version_ |
1800753330755993600 |