Spatial-temporal variations of kelp 129I contents in coastal waters of China before and after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident Article Swipe

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Fukushima Nuclear Accident Environmental science Nuclear power plant Kelp China Nuclear power Oceanography Kelp forest Geography Geology Ecology Biology Archaeology Nuclear physics Physics

Xiaowen Liu , Jialin Liu , Yukun Fan , Guozhi Xie , Xiaole Sun , Luyuan Zhang , Qi Liu , Xiaoqi Yang , Delin Duan , Fangli Qiao , Chang Zhao , Baozhu Ge , Sheng Fang , Shuhan Zhuang , Weidong Sun ·

YOU? · · 2025 · Open Access · · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117730 · OA: W4408072715

Radioactive 129I isotope, as one of the main products of the nuclear fission process, can be applied to track radioactive substances in the environment. So far, limited studies have investigated the spatial-temporal distribution of 129I in marine ecosystems including the 129I isotope released via nuclear activities. This study reports the 129I concentrations of kelps collected from the shallow coastal Yellow Sea and East China Sea from 2009 to 2021. The results show that the kelp 129I concentrations increased by 5 times in our studied areas in 2011 right after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident and then decreased back to the pre-accident level in the following years. Meanwhile, the kelp 129I concentrations in the Yellow Sea decreased much faster than those in the East China Sea between 2012 and 2021, which could be attributed to large river inputs that sustain a high supply of 129I to coastal areas. Our observations suggest that the FDNPP accident may not be the cause of the increase in 129I in coastal kelps in 2011. Instead, the 129I emitted by nuclear fuel reprocessing plants (NFRPs) and being flushed into coastal areas by rivers could be main source of 129I to coastal kelps.