Fukushima’s Radioactive Water Threatens Coastal Groundwater

Abstract

Figure 1. Fukushima radioactive water poses a threat to coastal groundwater under the impact of global seawater intrusion. (a) Global seawater intrusion results in a heightened degree of inland salinization. By the year 2100, the inland shift (kilometers) of the saline water wedge, in comparison to the year 2000, is forecasted on the basis of the RCP 8.5 scenario. RCP, which stands for a representative concentration pathway, is a framework employed to outline future global greenhouse gas emissions and concentrations. RCP 8.5 delineates a high-emission scenario. (34) (b) Pathways and protection measures for the threat of radioactive water on coastal groundwater, including ① seawater intrusion, ② subsea engineering, and ③ vertical infiltration that pose threats to coastal groundwater by allowing radioactive contaminants to seep through soil layers and reach underlying aquifers, jeopardizing both groundwater quality and human health. (11,22,33,46) The management strategy mainly revolves around managed aquifer recharge (MAR), which includes recharge wells and recharge dams, offering effective preventive measures to mitigate the harm of radioactive water. (47−49) Additionally, barrier walls can effectively weaken the interaction between saltwater and freshwater, preventing marine radioactive water from entering coastal groundwater. (51) Y.W. led the conceptualization, writing, and figure drafting. J.Z., Z.Z., and Y.C. assisted with writing and figures. X.C. and H.L. conceived the ideas and designed the framework. L.W., T.-C.J.Y., C.C., and M.X. helped to improve the writing of the paper. All authors approved publication. Dr. Yaqiang Wei is currently an Associate Professor at Shanghai University. He completed his postdoctoral research at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017, with a joint training program at the University of Arizona, United States. His primary research focus is on the migration, transformation, and fate of contaminants in soil and groundwater. He has led several research projects, including a project of key fund and a Youth Fund from the National Natural Science Foundation, and two subprojects under the National Key Research and Development Program for Soil Pollution Causes and Control Technologies. He also serves as a young editorial board member for journals such as Eco-Environment & Health and Agriculture Communications. Hui Li is a full professor at the School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University. He is the recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and serves as the Chief Scientist of the National Key Research and Development Program. He has led more than 20 national and provincial key scientific research projects. He has been engaged in multidisciplinary research on environmental behavior, ecotoxicology, remediation technologies of pollutants, and realization path for carbon peak and carbon neutral. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42107015, 42330706, and 42125706). This article references 51 other publications. This article has not yet been cited by other publications.