Investigating subsurface pathways of Fukushima cesium in the Northwest Pacific

A© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Cedarholm, E. R., Rypina, I. I., Macdonald, A. M., & Yoshida, S. Investigating subsurface pathways of Fukushima cesium in the Northwest Pacific. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(12), (2019): 6821-6829, doi:10.1029/2019GL082500.Advective pathways for Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP)‐derived cesium observed in 2013 at 166°E south of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) at >500 m on the 26.5σθ isopycnal are investigated. Attention is paid to the KE's role in shaping these pathways. Using a high‐resolution model, particle trajectories were simulated backward and forward in time on 26.5σθ between the 2013 observations and the 2011 source. A large fraction of backtracked trajectories interacted with the mixed layer just offshore of the FDNPP. The likeliest pathway reaching the deepest 2013 observed cesium location runs along the KE out to ~165°E, where it turns sharply southward. Forward trajectory statistics suggest that for 26.5σθ waters originating north of the KE, this current acted as a permeable barrier west of 155–160°E. The deepest 2011 model mixed layers suggest that FDNPP‐derived radionuclides may have been present at 30°N in 2013 at greater depths and densities (700 m; 26.8σθ).We would like to thank our two anonymous reviewers for their insightful suggestions that improved this paper. Work by Cedarholm on this project was supported by the WHOI Summer Student Fellowship program and was her UNH senior Capstone project. Rypina, Macdonald, and Yoshida acknowledge salary and project support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant OCE‐1356630. Additionally, Rypina would like to acknowledge support from NSF grant OCE‐1558806. CLIVAR PO2 and P10 observations, data sets 318M20130321 and 49NZ2012011, were obtained from the CCHDO (https://cchdo.ucsd.edu/) and the HYCOM output, data set GLBa0.08 expt_90.0v, from https://www.hycom.org/. Argo profiles were obtained from http://www.argodatamgt.org, the ISAS‐15 0.5°gridded Argo‐data‐alone product from https://www.seanoe.org, and delayed‐time allsat AVISO gridded surface velocity estimates from http://marine.copernicus.eu. Extended acknowledgements in Text S4