Pre- and Post-Accident 14 C Activities in tree rings near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant

Areas affected by routine radiocarbon ( 14 C) discharges from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) and accidental releases in March 2011 were investigated by analysis of cores from Japanese cypress and cedar trees growing at sites 9 and 24 km northwest of the plant. 14 C concentrations in tree rings from 2008–2014 (before and after the accident) were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry, with 14 C activities in the range 231–256 Bq kg −1 C. Activities during the period 2012–2014, after FDNPP shutdown, represent background levels, while the significantly higher levels recorded during 2008–2010, before the accident, indicate uptake of 14 C from routine FDNPP operations. The mean excess 14 C activity for the pre-accident period at the sites 9 and 24 km northwest of the plant were 21 and 12 Bq kg −1 C, respectively, indicating that the area of influence during routine FDNPP operations extended at least 24 km northwest. The mean excess tree-ring 14 C activities in 2011 were 10 and 5.8 Bq kg −1 C at 9 and 24 km northwest, respectively, documenting possible impact of the FDNPP accident on 14 C levels in trees

Accelerator mass spectrometry · Fukushima Nuclear Accident · Nuclear physics · Nuclear power plant · Physics · Radiocarbon dating · Environmental Science · Nuclear and radioactivity studies · Radioactive contamination and transfer · Radioactivity and Radon Measurements · Geology · Paleontology

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