Radioactive impact of Fukushima accident on the Iberian Peninsula: Evolution and plume previous pathway

High activity concentrations of several man-made radionuclides (such as 131I, 132I, 132Te, 134Cs and 137Cs) have been detected along the Iberian Peninsula from March 28th to April 7th 2011. The analysis of back-trajectories of air masses allowed us to demonstrate that the levels of manmade radionuclide activity concentrations in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula come from the accident produced in the nuclear power plant of Fukushima. The pathway followed by the radioactive plume from Fukushima into Huelva (southwest of the Iberian Peninsula) was deduced through back-trajectories analysis, and this fact was also verified by the activity concentrations measured of those radionuclides reported in places crossed by this radioactive cloud. In fact, activity concentrations reported by E.P.A., and by IAEA, in several places of Japan, Pacific Ocean and United States of America are according to the expected ones from the air mass trajectory arriving at Huelva province.

► Influence of Fukushima accident over Iberian Peninsula.
► High activity concentrations of several man-made radionuclides (such as 131I, 132I, 132Te, 134Cs and 137Cs).
► Back-trajectory computation for the previous 16 days.
► Relationship between air mass circulation and high activity concentrations.