A MARINE FOOD WEB BIOACCUMULATION MODEL FOR CESIUM 137

IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Juan Jos Alava & Frank A.P.C. Gobas
of Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Environment, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada (E-mail: jalavasa@sfu.ca)

Model Outcomes: Simulations

Study Areas, Food web construction & Diet composition

A) Current scenario

seawater activity data were obtained from Smith et al. (2013) to simulate
current conditions (i.e. using 5.0 x 10-4 Bq/L), and from Rosi et al. (2013) for a
future scenario over the 2014-2020 time period (i.e. 0.01 Bq/L).
137Cs

CANADA
British Columbia
Vancouver I.
Strait of
Georgia

137Cs

Pacific Ocean

137Cs

Puget
Sound
Washington

USA

137Cs

180

50

40

120

150

Figure 1. Through the oceanic life stage cycle ,

Pacific salmon species are likely to deliver Fukushima
associated 137Cs to the resident killer whales foodweb in waters off the Pacific Northwest coast.

Nuclear fall out and long-range atmospheric transport

(137Cs)

Water - soluble
chemicals (137Cs)

Muscle/Fatsoluble chemicals
(137Cs)
Particle bound
chemicals (137Cs)

Figure 2. Transport, fate and partitioning of 137Cs in

a multi-media marine environment and in resident
killer whales habitat and food-web.

Pacific salmon are the major diet

item of British Columbia resident killer
whales (Orcinus orca ), and therefore
contribute to the accumulation of
contaminants (e.g., POPs) found in this
species (Fig. 1; Cullon et al ., 2009).
137Cs cannot be ruled out as a
potential bioaccumulative pollutant in
regional food-webs, including the
resident killer whale food-web in BC
waters (Figs. 1 & 2).

Objective: To model the bioaccumulation of 137Cs in an offshore food web

of the Pacific Northwest with the aims of improving our understanding of the
bioaccumulation potential and health effects of

137Cs

conducting an eco-toxicological risk assessment.

in top predators and of

Walleye pollock
Dove sole
Northern anchovy
Shiner surfperch
Zooplankton
Polychaete sp.2

0.1

Walleye pollock
Dove sole
Northern anchovy
Shiner surfperch

10

wet weight)

Amphipod

Zooplankton
Polychaete sp.2

Polychaete sp.1

Amphipod

Polychaete sp.1
Dungeness crab
Phytoplankton
Mysid shrimp
Pacific oyster

0.1

Blue mussel

Dungeness crab
Phytoplankton

0.01

Zooplankton
TL=2

Killer whale ()
Killer whale ()
Lingcod
Chinook salmon
Sablefish
Chum salmon
Halibut
Coho salmon
Gonatid squid

(100 Bq/kg)

Pacific herring

Pacific herring

0.01

Crangon shrimp

Mysid shrimp
Pacific oyster

137Cs

Blue mussel

0.001

Phytoplankton
TL= 1

137Cs activities in the atmospheric air inhaled by air breathing organisms (i.e.
killer whales) were assumed to be negligible in Pacific Northwest waters off the
coast of Canada.

137Cs

0.001
Crangon shrimp

seawater
0.0001

0.0001

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

11000

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

Time (days)

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

11000

Time (days)

sediments

Figure 4. Simulations showing predictions of the accumulation of 137Cs activities in organisms of the food web over time: A)
current scenario with seawater activity (CW) = 5.0 x 10-4 Bq/L; sediment activity (CS) = 0.05 Bq/kg dw; and, B) future scenario
with (CW) = 0.01 Bq/L; (CS) =1.0 Bq/kg dw (B). The simulations include the nuclear decay rate (k N = 6.33 x 10-5 d-1) for 137Cs.

Model Parameterization and Theory

137Cs-Bioconcentration

The red solid line represents the Canadian Action Level for Consumption following a Nuclear Emergency of 1000 Bqkg-1; the

Factor (BCF) in Phytoplankton: 20 L/kg, based on Vive i Batlle (2012) &

IAEA (2004).
The basic kinetic mass balance, time dependent model for the bioaccumulation of
is described as follows:

137Cs

in aquatic biota

dC B
= kW .CW + k D .C D (k G + k N + k E ).C B
dt

For air respiring organisms, the differential equation is:

Legends: C B = 137Cs-activity in biota; C W = 137Cs-seawater activity;
C A=

activity ; C D =
uptake rate; k A = air uptake rate; k N =
137Cs-air

-diet; k W =
137Cs-nuclear decay rate.

137Cs-activity

137Cs-water

red dashed line represents the limit for radiocesium contamination in food (100 Bqkg-1) used currently in Japan.

Trophic Magnification of 137Cs over time

3.00

dC B
= k A .C A + k D .C D (k G + k N + k E ).C B
dt

Dietary Uptake Rate Constant (k D ): Values for kD were derived from Alava et al. (2012)
137Cs-Elimination Rate Constant (k E ) in invertebrates: kE values for zooplankton (0.053d-1), the
blue mussel, Mytilus edulis (0.04d-1) and Pacific giant oyster, Crassostrea gigas (0.01d-1) were calculated
(using the biological half life:t = Ln/kE) or data reported elsewhere (Vive i Batlle 2012; IAEA 2004;
Cranmore & Harrison 1975). For polychaetes (0.118 d-1) and benthic crustaceans (i.e. 0.130 d-1 for
amphipods and mysid shrimp, Mysis sp., and 0.224 d-1 for Crangon shrimp and Dungeness crab,
Metacarcinus magister), kE values were adopted from Topcuolu (2001).
Elimination Rate Constants (k E ) in fish: because the apparent elimination of 137Cs in fish is
predominantly due to growth dilution, the growth rate constant can be an adequate descriptor for the
apparent elimination of 137Cs from fish (i.e. kE can be considered negligible).
Elimination Rate Constants (k E ) in killer whale: the 137Cs-half life of 28d estimated for marine
mammals by Watson et al. (1999) was used here to calculate a plausible elimination rate constant (kE)
for resident killer whales (i.e. kE = Ln/t =0.693/t =0.693/ 28 d = 0.025 d-1).
Growth Rate Constant (k G ) estimates for all species were retrieved from Alava et al. (2012).

2.00

3.00

30 days

A)

1.00
0.00
-1.00

Polychaete sp.2
Polychaete sp.1

-2.00

Phytoplankton

-3.00
-4.00

Amphipod Shiner surfperch

Dove sole
Pacific herring Northern Chum salmon
anchovy
Dungeness crab
Gonatid squid Lingcod
Walleye
Mysid shrimp
Halibut Coho salmon
pollock
Pacific oyster
Sablefish
Blue mussel
Chinook
Crangon
salmon
shrimp

Zooplankton

-5.00

Killer whale
(male)
Killer whale
(female)

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

Gulf of Alaska

Benthic biota
TL = 2.1-2.9

137Cs-Japan Consumption Guideline

100
Killer whale ()
Killer whale ()
Lingcod
Chinook salmon
Sablefish
Chum salmon
Halibut
Coho salmon
Gonatid squid

-6.00
1

2.00
1.00
0.00
-1.00
-2.00

Phytoplankton

-3.00
-4.00

Polychaete sp.2
Shiner surfperch
AmphipodPacific
Zooplankton
Dove sole
herring
Gonatid
Polychaete sp.1 Walleye pollock
Lingcod
NorthernChumsquid Halibut
Dungeness crab
anchovy
salmon
Coho salmon
Sablefish
Pacific oyster
Chinook
Mysid
salmon
Blue mussel shrimp
Crangon
shrimp

2.00

Zooplankton
Polychaete sp.2
Polychaete sp.1

-1.00
-2.00

Phytoplankton

-3.00

Killer whale
(male)
Killer whale
(female)

Dungeness crab

Blue mussel
Crangon shrimp

-4.00
-5.00

Log 137Cs= 0.5734(TL) - 2.9374

r = 0.3743; p =0.0015

0.00
-1.00
-2.00

Phytoplankton

-3.00
-4.00

Polychaete sp.2
Pacific herring Shiner surfperch
Zooplankton
DoveGonatid
Walleye pollock
Killer whale
Polychaete sp.1 Amphipod Northern sole squid Halibut Lingcod
(male)
Chum
anchovy
Coho salmon
Killer whale
salmonSablefish
Chinook
(female)
Dungeness crab
Pacific oyster
salmon
Mysid
Blue mussel shrimp
Crangon
shrimp

Log 137Cs= 0.0231(TL) - 2.0655

r = 0.0014, p > 0.05

2.00

3.00

730 days

E)

1.00

Killer whale (male)

0.00
Zooplankton
Polychaete sp.2
Polychaete sp.1

-1.00
-2.00

Phytoplankton

-3.00

Chum salmon
Halibut
Sablefish
Lingcod
Pacific herring ShinerGonatid
Coho salmon
Walleye pollock surfperchsquid Chinook
salmon
Amphipod Northern Dove sole
anchovy

Pacific oyster
Blue mussel

Killer whale
(female)

Dungeness crab
Mysid shrimp
Crangon shrimp

-4.00
-5.00

Trophic Level (TL)

Log

137Cs

= 0.818(TL) - 3.3764
r = 0.5099, p < 0.0001

-6.00

-6.00
0

1.00

-6.00

3.00

Pacific herring Shiner Gonatid squidHalibut

Walleye pollocksurfperchChum Sablefish Lingcod
Northern salmonChinook Coho
Amphipodanchovy Dove
salmon
salmon
sole

Mysid shrimp
Pacific oyster

2.00

Trophic Level (TL)

1.00
0.00

90 days

C)

-5.00

-6.00

365 days

D)

Killer whale
(male)
Killer whale
(female)

Log 137Cs = -0.1371(TL) - 1.8221

r = 0.0497, p > 0.05

Trophic Level (TL)

3.00

3.00

60 days

B)

-5.00

Log 137Cs = -0.4029(TL) - 1.4306

r = 0.3274; p =0.0035

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

60

Small pelagic
fish
TL=3

Level (1000 Bq/kg)

(100 Bq/kg)

10

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

Alaska

The Fukushima nuclear accident on

11 March 2011 emerged as a looming
threat to the marine biodiversity in the
Pacific Ocean and human health in
coastal communities. Assessment of
the long term consequences of
radiocesium 137 (137Cs) releases from
the Fukushima plant should consider
the extent of ecological magnification
in food-webs in addition to ocean
dilution.

137Cs-Japan Consumption Guideline

100

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

137Cs sediment activity data are scarce for the study region, thus assumed
activities were used as inputs in the model (Current scenario: 0.05 Bq/kg dw;
Future scenario: 1.0 Bq/kg dw).

Gonatid squid
TL =3

1000

Resident Killer Whale

TL =4.5

Halibut & Sablefish

(Demersal fish)
TL= 3.85-4.13

Most of the data on feeding ecology, diet and trophic levels for fish and other
aquatic biota were retrieved from Alava et al. (2012)

The Fukushima nuclear power

plant lies within 200km of the core
of the Kuroshio Current Extension

Aleutian Is.

Chinook, Chum
and Coho salmon
TL= 3.4-4.2

137Cs-Canada Consumption Action

Level (1000 Bq/kg)

137Cs (Bq/kg

A simplified oceanic food web, including Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus

tshawytscha) and killer whales, were constructed for the modeling work (Fig. 3).

137Cs-Canada Consumption Action

1000

wet weight)

Position and
direction of the
Kuroshio Current
Extension

Salmon make up 96% of

the killer whales diet, of
which 71.5% is Chinook
salmon (Ford and Ellis,
2006; Ford et al ., 2010).

137Cs (Bq/kg

Offshore

Figure 3.

The area selected for the bioaccumulation modeling work is the resident killer
whales outer coast habitat (i.e. offshore) in the Pacific Northwest coast (i.e. a
region of the western coast of USA and Canada; Figs. 1-2).

B) Future scenario

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

Background

November, 2014

Log 137Cs (Bqkg-1 wet weight)

1 School

10950 days

F)

2.00

Killer whale (male)

Halibut Lingcod
Killer whale
Chum salmon Sablefish
(female)
Gonatid Chinook Coho salmon
squid salmon
Pacific herring

1.00
0.00
Zooplankton
Polychaete sp.2
Polychaete sp.1

-1.00
-2.00

Phytoplankton

Walleye pollock
Dove sole
Shiner surfperch
Amphipod Northern
anchovy

Pacific oyster

Dungeness crab
Mysid shrimp

Blue mussel

-3.00

Crangon shrimp

-4.00
-5.00

Log 137Cs= 1.1731(TL) - 4.129

r = 0.6298, p < 0.0001

-6.00
0

Trophic Level (TL)

Trophic Level (TL)

Trophic Level (TL)

Figure 5. Linear regressions showing the bioaccumulation behavior and trophic magnification of 137Cs activities versus trophic
levels in the resident killer whales outer coast food web for a simulation with CW = 5.0 x 10-4 Bq/L; and, CS = 0.05 Bq/kg dw
at: A) 30 days, B) 60 days, C) 90 days, D) 365 days (1 year), E) 730 days (2 years); and, F) 10950 days (5 years), following the
the Fukushima nuclear accident in the North Pacific.

137Cs

activities significantly increase in the food web after one year.

Conclusion
While current

137Cs

activities do not indicate a health concern for the consumption of fish products by human populations in the

west coast of Canada, 137Cs activities may achieve levels in upper trophic levels that may pose health risks in wildlife species.
A rigorous monitoring program would also support the further development of the model and improve the ability to forecast
137Cs

activities in marine organisms and uptake in human populations that consume sea products.