EAPSI: Radiocesium Dynamics in Irrigation Ponds Surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant

夏季研究项目的目标是提高对日本福岛县周围环境中有毒污染物的运输和动态的理解。2011年3月11日，福岛第一核电站（FDNPP）的事故导致放射性铯（radiocesium）沉积在环境中。这项研究将与设在福岛市福岛大学的环境放射性研究所（IER）共同完成。了解灾难的持续影响对美国和日本的环境和政策研究至关重要。研究将与原子能研究所的Alexei Konoplev博士一起进行，他在切尔诺贝利事故现场率先开展了放射性物质运输研究。放射性元素的长半衰期确保了它将在未来数年里留在环境中，计划中的研究将支持日本的清理工作。为了收集所需的数据，将从福岛事故现场10公里范围内的四个灌溉池塘中采集样本。岩心将从这些池塘30厘米深的底部沉积物中提取出来，并送回IER。在那里，样品将被切片并计算放射性元素的含量。计数将由高纯度锗探测器的伽马射线能谱仪完成。通过对样品进行计数所完成的表征将提供灌溉池塘沉积物中放射性铯体积的测量。结果将与分析模型的数据进行比较，以确定模型的准确性。验证模型很重要，因为模型用于制定与核工业有关的决策和政策。随着世界面临对更多电力的需求，核电是一个可行的替代方案，但必须与对环境的仔细研究相权衡。该奖项隶属于东亚和太平洋暑期研究所项目，由美国国家科学基金会和日本科学促进会共同资助，支持一名美国研究生进行暑期研究。

The goal of the summer research project is to improve the understanding of the transport and dynamics of toxic pollutants in the environment around the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan. Radioactive cesium forms (radiocesium) were deposited in the environment as a result of the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) on March 11, 2011. The research will be completed in conjunction with the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity (IER), which is hosted at Fukushima University, Fukushima City. Understanding the continuing effects of the disaster is critical to environmental and policy studies in the both the US and Japan. Studies will be conducted with Dr. Alexei Konoplev at the IER, who pioneered radiocesium transport research at the Chernobyl accident site. The long half life of radiocesium ensures that it will remain in the environment for years to come and the planned research will support the clean up effort in Japan.To collect the required data, samples will be taken from four irrigation ponds that are within ten kilometers of the Fukushima accident site. Cores will be extracted from the bottom sediment in these ponds at a depth of 30 centimeters and returned to the IER. There, the samples will be sliced and counted for radiocesium content. The counting will be accomplished by gamma ray spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector. The characterization accomplished by counting the samples will provide a measure of the volume of radiocesium in the sediment of the irrigation ponds. The results will be compared against data from an analytical model to determine the model's accuracy. Validating the model is important as models are used for making decisions and policy with respect to the nuclear industry. As the world confronts the need for more electricity, nuclear power is a viable alternative that must be weighed against the carefully researched effects on the environment.This award under the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes program supports summer research by a U.S. graduate student and is jointly funded by NSF and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.