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Assessing Fukushima-Derived Radiocesium in Migratory Pacific Predators

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Harvard University Center for the Environment, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
§ Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1080 Shenneconsett Road, Groton, Connecticut 06340, United States
Ocean Associates, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NMFS, NOAA, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Jolla, California 92037, United States
# Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit, Santa Barbara, California 93101, United States
Department of Fisheries Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062, United States
Department of Marine Biology, School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokai University, 3-20-1, Orido, Shimizu, Shizuoka 424-8610, Japan
*Phone: 617 496-7199; fax: 617 496-7205; e-mail: [email protected]; mail: Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51, 16, 8962–8971
Publication Date (Web):July 17, 2017
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b00680
Copyright © 2017 American Chemical Society
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Abstract

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The 2011 release of Fukushima-derived radionuclides into the Pacific Ocean made migratory sharks, teleosts, and marine mammals a source of speculation and anxiety regarding radiocesium (134+137Cs) contamination, despite a lack of actual radiocesium measurements for these taxa. We measured radiocesium in a diverse suite of large predators from the North Pacific Ocean and report no detectable (i.e., ≥ 0.1 Bq kg–1 dry wt) Fukushima-derived 134Cs in all samples, except in one olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) with trace levels (0.1 Bq kg–1). Levels of 137Cs varied within and across taxa, but were generally consistent with pre-Fukushima levels and were lower than naturally occurring 40K by one to one to two orders of magnitude. Predator size had a weaker effect on 137Cs and 40K levels than tissue lipid content. Predator stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) were used to infer recent migration patterns, and showed that predators in the central, eastern, and western Pacific should not be assumed to accumulate detectable levels of radiocesium a priori. Nondetection of 134Cs and low levels of 137Cs in diverse marine megafauna far from Fukushima confirms negligible increases in radiocesium, with levels comparable to those prior to the release from Fukushima. Reported levels can inform recently developed models of cesium transport and bioaccumulation in marine species.

Cited By


This article is cited by 5 publications.

  1. Kathryn Hassell, Luke Barrett, Tim Dempster. Impacts of Human-Induced Pollution on Wild Fish Welfare. 2020,,, 487-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41675-1_20
  2. , , , . The Welfare of Fish. 2020,,https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41675-1
  3. . Ocean Transport of Radioactive Materials. 2019,,, 128-166. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108574273.007
  4. , , , . Environmental Contamination from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. 2019,,https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108574273
  5. JC Haywood, WJ Fuller, BJ Godley, JD Shutler, S Widdicombe, AC Broderick. Global review and inventory: how stable isotopes are helping us understand ecology and inform conservation of marine turtles. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2019, 613 , 217-245. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12889

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