Map of Cesium-137 Deposition by CEREA Shows US More Contaminated Than Western Japan

[flamingdem]

http://cerea.enpc.fr/en/fukushima.html

<...> According to , the US, particularly the West Coast and particularly California, may be more contaminated with radioactive cesium than the western half of Japan or Hokkaido. <...>

The simulation was performed with a specific version of the numerical atmospheric chemistry and transport model Polyphemus/Polair3D. The parametrisations used for the transport and physical removal of the radionuclides are described in <1,2,3,4>. The magnitude of activity concentration field is uncertain and could be significantly different from the actual one. In particular, the source term remains uncertain. Therefore, these results should be seen as preliminary and they are likely to be revised as new information become available to better constrain the source term and when radionuclides data can be used to evaluate the model simulation results.

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/08/map-of-cesium-137-deposition-across.html

[mahina]

1. simulation

"May be" is not the same as "is."

[Lucian]

2. This is unsettling.

Why isn't this being reported anywhere other than in blogs???

K&R

[flamingdem]

3. At least the testing continues at UC Berkeley

For two weeks the Cesium dropped off but now it's back.

Looks like the area is contaminated and will take a long time to disperse.

Most of it occurred with the initial explosion it seems followed by rain outs in California.

[FBaggins]

8. Yes... it continues. And it continues to show VERY low contamination.

Even at the highest detected levels, they have yet to discover any amount worthy of concern (and have said so over and over).

[Nihil]

6. Because it's not a "report", even in the blogs.

A report would be based upon data.

A pointless panic-mongering blog post about one possible outcome of
a simulation (amongst many alternatives) doesn't have that limitation.

If the data supported this particular case then yes, it would be "unsettling".

If a series of biopsies supported the possibility that the world leaders
were all reptilians wearing human disguises then that too would be "unsettling"
but I'm not terribly concerned about that particular "alternative" either.

YMMV

[BeFree]

4. California is downwind of Fuku

Westerlies blow from west to east. Westerlies are the main course winds take around this little blue ball. So it is just common sense that the exhalations from a plant to the west of California would end up in the east; in California. No real surprise.

[flamingdem]

5. One question is dispersion.

At that level of the atmosphere it's not arriving as dispersed as it would be if up higher.

The other issue is rain. That makes me think the areas most impacted are those that had rain
mid-March to early April. Los Angeles had very little, the Bay Area a lot. The depositation
seems to be more about wind patterns than rain out.

[FBaggins]

7. You mean cesium can't magically fly upwind?

What a shock! :)

[qb]

9. Einstein can't be repeated often enough: It's "one hell of a way to boil water."

[OKIsItJustMe]

10. Putting things into perspective for a moment…

Radioactive sulfur, produced in Fukushima, when sea water was poured onto the molten reactor cores, wafted its way to California, in measurable quantities, but only because extremely sensitive measuring devices were used.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110815/full/news.2011.482.html

…

The chemicals posed "no risk" to residents in San Diego, says Thiemens. In fact, it took a year to even develop equipment sensitive enough to measure levels as low as these, he says.

…

http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1109449108


The EPA has stopped resumed normal monitoring:
http://epa.gov/japan2011/

…

June 30 Statement

In response to the Japanese nuclear incident, EPA accelerated and increased sampling frequency and analysis to confirm that there were no harmful levels of radiation reaching the U.S. from Japan and to inform the public about any level of radiation detected. After a thorough data review showing declining radiation levels, on May 3, 2011, EPA returned to the routine RadNet sampling and analysis process for precipitation, drinking water and milk. As always, our 24/7 air monitoring stations continue to measure radiation levels, alerting scientists to even slight changes.

It is important to note that all of the radiation levels detected by RadNet monitors and sampling have been very low, well below any level of public health concern. Across the RadNet system, we saw decreasing radiation levels during April and May. Since May, sample analyses have predominantly shown no detections of radionuclides associated with the Japanese nuclear incident. EPA continues to work with federal partners to monitor the situation in Japan and stands prepared to accelerate radiation sampling and analysis if the need arises. Data will continue to be available on EPA's public website.

EPA's nationwide radiation monitoring system, RadNet, detects radiation in two ways: air monitoring and sample analysis.

Air Monitoring: More than 100 air monitors measure radiation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This system allows our scientists to keep very close watch over radiation levels at all times. This system lets us identify normal background radiation levels in an area. The air monitoring system alerts us if radiation levels increase outside of this normal range, allowing us to take action if necessary. …