SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(Photo: thierry ehrmann/cc/flickr)
Radioactive Cesium Recorded at 10 Spots in Pacific Ocean After Fukushima
Researchers release report showing cesium in seawater, plankton following Fukushima disaster
May 24, 2013
Radioactive cesium from the Fukushima plant was found at 10 points in the Pacific Ocean, including a location as far as 1300 miles from the plant, less than a year after Fukushima nuclear disaster began, scientists revealed on Tuesday.
The Japan Times and Kyodo News reported that the findings were announced by researchers with the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology at the Japan Geoscience Union meeting.
At each of the 10 points, located between Japan's Hokkaido island and Guam, cesium 134 and cesium 137 were detected in the plankton and seawater samples taken by the scientists between January and February 2012, the news agencies report.
The researchers found the highest density of cesium in seawater around latitude 36 to 40 degrees north, while plankton with the highest concentrations of cesium were found around 25 degrees north and 150 degrees east.
"Plankton are thought to play a key role in the dispersion of the cesium because they are eaten by bigger fish. We want to study further what is influencing the accumulation of radioactive cesium," The Japan Times reports Minoru Kitamura, a marine ecologist and senior researcher at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, as saying.
The high levels cesium found in the plankton around 25 degrees north presented a "concern," Kitamura added, saying, "we don't know why the level got high around that area."
____________________
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your commitment. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. While every gift matters and makes a powerful difference, it gives us the stability to invest confidently in in-depth, fearless reporting — the kind of journalism that holds power accountable and fuels real change. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — your steady support helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Radioactive cesium from the Fukushima plant was found at 10 points in the Pacific Ocean, including a location as far as 1300 miles from the plant, less than a year after Fukushima nuclear disaster began, scientists revealed on Tuesday.
The Japan Times and Kyodo News reported that the findings were announced by researchers with the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology at the Japan Geoscience Union meeting.
At each of the 10 points, located between Japan's Hokkaido island and Guam, cesium 134 and cesium 137 were detected in the plankton and seawater samples taken by the scientists between January and February 2012, the news agencies report.
The researchers found the highest density of cesium in seawater around latitude 36 to 40 degrees north, while plankton with the highest concentrations of cesium were found around 25 degrees north and 150 degrees east.
"Plankton are thought to play a key role in the dispersion of the cesium because they are eaten by bigger fish. We want to study further what is influencing the accumulation of radioactive cesium," The Japan Times reports Minoru Kitamura, a marine ecologist and senior researcher at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, as saying.
The high levels cesium found in the plankton around 25 degrees north presented a "concern," Kitamura added, saying, "we don't know why the level got high around that area."
____________________
Radioactive cesium from the Fukushima plant was found at 10 points in the Pacific Ocean, including a location as far as 1300 miles from the plant, less than a year after Fukushima nuclear disaster began, scientists revealed on Tuesday.
The Japan Times and Kyodo News reported that the findings were announced by researchers with the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology at the Japan Geoscience Union meeting.
At each of the 10 points, located between Japan's Hokkaido island and Guam, cesium 134 and cesium 137 were detected in the plankton and seawater samples taken by the scientists between January and February 2012, the news agencies report.
The researchers found the highest density of cesium in seawater around latitude 36 to 40 degrees north, while plankton with the highest concentrations of cesium were found around 25 degrees north and 150 degrees east.
"Plankton are thought to play a key role in the dispersion of the cesium because they are eaten by bigger fish. We want to study further what is influencing the accumulation of radioactive cesium," The Japan Times reports Minoru Kitamura, a marine ecologist and senior researcher at the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology, as saying.
The high levels cesium found in the plankton around 25 degrees north presented a "concern," Kitamura added, saying, "we don't know why the level got high around that area."
____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.