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Canopy-Forming Kelps as California’s Coastal Dosimeter: ¹³¹I from Damaged Japanese Reactor Measured in Macrocystis pyrifera

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Steven L. Manley*† and Christopher G. Lowe†

^† Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840 United States

Environ. Sci. Technol., Article ASAP

DOI: 10.1021/es203598r

Publication Date (Web): March 6, 2012

Copyright © 2012 American Chemical Society

*E-mail: slmanley@csulb.edu; phone: 562-985-1568.

Abstract

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, damaged by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 released large amounts of ¹³¹I into the atmosphere, which was assimilated into canopy blades of Macrocystis pyrifera sampled from coastal California. The specific activity calculated to the estimated date of deposition/assimilation ranged from 0.6 to 2.5 Bq gdwt^–1, levels greater than those measured from kelps from Japan and Canada prior to the release. These ¹³¹I levels represent a significant input into the kelp forest ecosystem. Canopy-forming kelps are a natural coastal dosimeter that can measure the exposure of the coastal environment to ¹³¹I and perhaps other radioisotopes released from nuclear accidents. An organizational mechanism should be in place to ensure that they are sampled immediately and continuously after such releases.

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