Bulletin of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
Online ISSN : 2189-9363
Print ISSN : 0916-4405
ISSN-L : 0916-4405
137Cs concentrations in the pollen of sugi (Cryptomeria japonica var. japonica) over 5 years following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident in Fukushima Prefecture
Yoshiyuki KIYONO Akio AKAMATatsuro KANAZASHIKoji SHICHITeiji KONDOHiroshi HOSHINoritsugu KURAMOTOYoshitake FUJISAWAShigeo KURAMOTO
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RESEARCH REPORT / TECHNICAL REPORT OPEN ACCESS

2020 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 89-104

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Abstract

We aimed to estimate the amount of radiocesium re-dispersed by sugi (Cryptomeria japonica var. japonica) pollen release accurately based on measurements of sugi male flowers before pollen release. We measured the biomass and cesium-137 (137Cs) concentrations in male flowers and sugi pollen in November (shortly after pollen maturity), and in the following February (shortly before pollen release), in forests impacted by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident. Pollen accounted for ca. 1/3 of male flower biomass and the 137Cs concentrations were not significantly different between male flowers and pollen in November in the Koriyama sugi forest. The regression relationship between male flower and pollen 137Cs concentrations was used to calculate pollen 137Cs concentrations for every November–December period in the years 2011–2015 at 21 localities in Fukushima Prefecture. The sugi pollen 137Cs concentration declined year on year. The concentration in the spring of 2016 was ca. 8% of the concentration in spring 2012. The calculated 137Cs Tag (aggregated transfer factor) for the transmission of 137Cs from the environment to pollen was 0.0203 m2 dry kg–1 in February 2012 and 0.00168 m2 dry kg–1 in February 2016, based on data available in the MEXT 137Cs deposition quantity distribution map.

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© 2020 Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
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