Plutonium isotopes in the Sea of Japan

Plutonium isotopes in the Sea of Japan were determined to assess radioactive contamination. Concentrations of 239,240Pu in surface water of the Sea of Japan were maintained at a constant level over the past two decades in contrast to 137Cs. A median value of surface 239,240Pu in the Sea of Japan in this period was 5.6 mBq/m3 with the range between 2.1 and 14.0 mBq/m3, which is slightly higher than that in the western North Pacific. The vertical distribution of 239,240Pu showed a surface minimum, a subsurface maximum and gradual decrease with increasing depth. The 241Pu/239,240Pu activity ratios in water columns were almost constant except for surface water. In regard to 239,240Pu in surface water of the Sea of Japan, these findings suggest that rapid recycling of deeper plutonium occurs in the Sea of Japan due to deep convection in winter and biogeochemical processes such as particle scavenging and remineralization. (author)