Ten-year trends in vertical distribution of radiocesium in Fukushima forest soils, Japan.

To elucidate interannual changes in the vertical distribution of Cs in forest ecosystems contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, we investigated Cs inventories in forest soils (both organic and mineral soil horizons) at 10 sampling plots with different Cs deposition levels and dominant species for up to 10 years after the accident. We examined the temporal variation of the Cs inventories by depth with exponential regression models (assuming that the transition and partitioning of Cs are still active) and exponential offset regression models (assuming a shift to a stable Cs distribution, defined as the "quasi-equilibrium steady-state" in the Chernobyl accident). In the organic horizon, the Cs inventories were exponentially decreasing, and it might take more time to converge in the quasi-equilibrium steady-state at most plots. In the mineral soil horizon, most of Cs was found in the surface layer of the mineral soil horizon (0-5 cm). In this layer, the inventories first increased and then become relatively constant, and the exponential offset model was selected at most plots, suggesting entry into the quasi-equilibrium steady-state over the observation period. Although we also observed exponentially increasing trends in a lower layer (5-10 cm) of the mineral soil horizon, there was no clear increasing or decreasing trend of Cs inventory in the deeper mineral soil layers (10-15 and 15-20 cm). Our calculation of the relaxation depth and migration center revealed that downward migration of Cs is not significant in terms of the overall Cs distribution in the mineral soil horizon over 10 years.