Recent trends of plutonium fallout observed in Japan: plutonium as a proxy for desertification
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026

Speciation and Bioavailability Measurements of Environmental Plutonium Using Diffusion in Thin Films
Published on: November 9, 2015
Katsumi Hirose1, Yasuhito Igarashi, Michio Aoyama
1Geochemical Research Department, Meteorological Research Institute, 1-1 Nagamine, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0052, Japan. khirose@mri-jma.go.jp
Abstract:
Plutonium in monthly deposition samples collected in Tsukuba (the Meteorological Research Institute), Japan from 1990 to end of 2001 is reported, together with monthly plutonium deposition in Nagasaki and Yonaguni in 2000. The annual deposition of (239,240)Pu during the period from 1990 to 2001 shows no systematic interannual variation. However, monthly (239,240)Pu depositions show a typical seasonal variation with a maximum in spring season (March to April), which corresponds to seasonal cycle of soil dusts originating from the East Asian arid area. Plutonium isotopic ratios in the deposition samples suggest that significant amounts of the recent (239,240)Pu deposition observed in Japan are attributed to the resuspension of plutonium-bearing surface soil particles; resuspended plutonium originates from the East Asian arid areas. The recent increased tendency of (239,240)Pu content in residues in deposition samples may reflect desertification in the East Asian continent.
More Related Videos
08:05Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
09:18Laser-heating and Radiance Spectrometry for the Study of Nuclear Materials in Conditions Simulating a Nuclear Power Plant Accident
Published on: December 14, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Nuclear Transmutation
The Phosphorus Cycle
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab