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Canopy-Forming Kelps as California’s Coastal Dosimeter: 131I from Damaged Japanese Reactor Measured in Macrocystis pyrifera
Steven L. Manley*† and Christopher G. Lowe†
† Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840 United States
Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (7), pp 3731–3736
DOI: 10.1021/es203598r
Publication Date (Web): March 6, 2012
Copyright © 2012 American Chemical Society
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, damaged by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 released large amounts of 131I into the atmosphere, which was assimilated into canopy blades of Macrocystis pyrifera sampled from coastal California. The specific activity calculated to the estimated date of deposition/assimilation ranged from 0.6 to 2.5 Bq gdwt–1, levels greater than those measured from kelps from Japan and Canada prior to the release. These 131I levels represent a significant input into the kelp forest ecosystem. Canopy-forming kelps are a natural coastal dosimeter that can measure the exposure of the coastal environment to 131I and perhaps other radioisotopes released from nuclear accidents. An organizational mechanism should be in place to ensure that they are sampled immediately and continuously after such releases.
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Fukushima radiation found in California kelp
Marla Cone
Sunday, April 8, 2012
snip
"Basically, we saw it in all the California kelp blades we sampled," said Steven Manley, a CSU Long Beach biology professor who specializes in kelp.
The radioactivity had no known effects on the giant kelp, or on fish and other marine life, and it was undetectable a month later.
Iodine 131 "has an eight-day half-life, so it's pretty much all gone," Manley said. "But this shows what happens half a world away does effect what happens here. I don't think these levels are harmful, but it's better if we don't have it at all."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz1rVNhcYgZ
Steven L. Manley*† and Christopher G. Lowe†
† Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840 United States
Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (7), pp 3731–3736
DOI: 10.1021/es203598r
Publication Date (Web): March 6, 2012
Copyright © 2012 American Chemical Society
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, damaged by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 released large amounts of 131I into the atmosphere, which was assimilated into canopy blades of Macrocystis pyrifera sampled from coastal California. The specific activity calculated to the estimated date of deposition/assimilation ranged from 0.6 to 2.5 Bq gdwt–1, levels greater than those measured from kelps from Japan and Canada prior to the release. These 131I levels represent a significant input into the kelp forest ecosystem. Canopy-forming kelps are a natural coastal dosimeter that can measure the exposure of the coastal environment to 131I and perhaps other radioisotopes released from nuclear accidents. An organizational mechanism should be in place to ensure that they are sampled immediately and continuously after such releases.
--------------------------
Fukushima radiation found in California kelp
Marla Cone
Sunday, April 8, 2012
snip
"Basically, we saw it in all the California kelp blades we sampled," said Steven Manley, a CSU Long Beach biology professor who specializes in kelp.
The radioactivity had no known effects on the giant kelp, or on fish and other marine life, and it was undetectable a month later.
Iodine 131 "has an eight-day half-life, so it's pretty much all gone," Manley said. "But this shows what happens half a world away does effect what happens here. I don't think these levels are harmful, but it's better if we don't have it at all."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz1rVNhcYgZ