Abstract:
The typical radionuclides (
131I and
134, 137Cs) in aerosols could be efficiently used to evaluate the impacts of radioactive materials from the Fukushima nuclear accident on the radioactive background level of the atmosphere in Shanghai and the world. In the present work, combining impact factors, such as the nuclear accident release process, natural radioactive decay and the meteorological conditions, the distribution patterns of
131I and
134, 137Cs activities and their ratios in Shanghai aerosols were obtained. The date when
131I (2011-03-27) could be detectable is earlier than
134Cs (2011-04-06) and
137Cs (2011-04-08). The
131I activity (0.01-1.20 mBq/m
3) is 2-10 times higher than those of
134Cs (0.01-0.58 mBq/m
3) and
137Cs (0.01-0.65 mBq/m
3). Moreover, multiple peak values of
131I are found with time series. The activity ratios of
131I/
137Cs (1.3-10.6) decrease after the date of April 5
th, 2011, however, the activity ratios of
134Cs/
137Cs (0.8-2.9) are constant to be around 1.1. Using the analytical method of HYSPLIT model, the primary air mass migration pathways of radio-aerosols in Shanghai during this accident can be qualitatively inferred as the northeast and northwest paths. Meanwhile, the northeast pathway of radio-aerosols in Shanghai is further confirmed to be dominant by analysis of the reported radio-aerosol data in the concerned cities of China during that time period. In addition, the results of maximum values of
131I/
137Cs and
134Cs/
137Cs activity ratios are summarized and analyzed to reveal the spreading pathways of radio-aerosols in the northern hemisphere.