Groundwater chemistry can be affected by and related to earthquakes, thus it is crucial to understand the hydrochemical changes and associated processes caused by earthquakes for post-seismic groundwater utilization. Here we reported the major ion concentrations changes of the Ganze Spring in response to the May 30, 2014 Ms 6.1 Yingjiang earthquake, southwest China based on the daily time series (from 1st January 2012 to 20th July 2014) of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and HCO₃⁻ concentrations, as well as data of bulk strain and Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) recorded at a nearby station. The results showed that the entire hydrochemical response process can be divided into two stages after the earthquake occurred: 1). decline stage which was characterized by an increasingly decline of the three ion concentrations, indicating a gradually significant dilution effect. At first, the relationship of molar concentrations of ions showed no obvious changes; but later as the rate of decrease in ion concentrations increased, the relationship between Ca²⁺ and HCO₃⁻ reversed from Ca²⁺ excess to HCO₃⁻ excess, probably resulting from a relatively decreased Ca²⁺ contribution from dissolution of gypsum and dolomite due to dilution in mixing water. 2). recover stage when the ion concentrations recovered gradually with relatively lower values than that at pre-earthquake, revealing the reduction of dilute water inflow. In combination with the bulk strain and PGV data, the study suggested that major ion concentrations changes are attributed to dilution effect due to new fracture creation or unclogging/clogging of fractures triggered by the earthquake. The results could enhance the understanding of earthquake induced water chemistry changes and could have implications for water resources management and security in tectonically active areas.

Radiocesium (137Cs) migration from headwater forested areas to downstream rivers has been investigated in many studies since the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident, which was triggered by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The accident resulted in the release of a huge amount of radioactivity and its subsequent deposition in the environment. A large part of the radiocesium released has been shown to remain in the forest. The dissolved 137Cs concentration and its temporal dynamics in river water, stream water, and groundwater have been reported, but reports of dissolved 137Cs concentration in soil water remain sparse.In this study, soil water was sampled, and the dissolved 137Cs concentrations were measured at five locations with different land-use types (mature/young cedar forest, broadleaf forest, meadow land, and pasture land) in Yamakiya District, located 35 km northwest of FDNPP from July 2011 to October 2012. Soil water samples were collected by suction lysimeters installed at three different depths at each site. Dissolved 137Cs concentrations were analyzed using a germanium gamma ray detector. The dissolved 137Cs concentrations in soil water were high, with a maximum value of 2.5 Bq/L in July 2011, and declined to less than 0.32 Bq/L by 2012. The declining trend of dissolved 137Cs concentrations in soil water was fitted to a two-component exponential model. The rate of decline in dissolved 137Cs concentrations in soil water (k1) showed a good correlation with the radiocesium interception potential (RIP) of topsoil (0–5 cm) at the same site. Accounting for the difference of 137Cs deposition density, we found that normalized dissolved 137Cs concentrations of soil water in forest (mature/young cedar forest and broadleaf forest) were higher than those in grassland (meadow land and pasture land).

We showed that 2.1% of 233 pieces of lumber debris after the Great East Japan Earthquake was chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. Since hexavalent chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and pentavalent arsenic (As) in the debris may be diffused in the air via incineration, we exposed human lung normal (BEAS-2B) and carcinoma (A549) cells to Cr, Cu and As at the molar ratio in a representative CCA-treated wood. Co-exposure to 0.10 μM Cr and 0.06 μM As, which solely had no effect on colony formation, synergistically promoted colony formation in BEAS-2B cells, but not A549 cells, with activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Sole exposure and co-exposure to Cu showed limited effects. Since previous reports showed Cr and As concentrations to which human lungs might be exposed, our results suggest the importance to avoid diffusion of Cr and As in the air via incineration of debris including CCA-treated wood after the disaster.

The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, damaged reactor cooling systems at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The subsequent venting operation and hydrogen explosion resulted in a large radioactive nuclide emission from reactor containers into the environment. Here, we collected environmental samples such as soil, plant species, and water on April 10, 2011, in front of the power plant main gate as well as 35 km away in Iitate village, and observed gamma-rays with a Ge(Li) semiconductor detector. We observed activation products (²³⁹Np and ⁵⁹Fe) and fission products (¹³¹I, ¹³⁴Cs (¹³³Cs), ¹³⁷Cs, ¹¹⁰ᵐAg (¹⁰⁹Ag), ¹³²Te, ¹³²I, ¹⁴⁰Ba, ¹⁴⁰La, ⁹¹Sr, ⁹¹Y, ⁹⁵Zr, and ⁹⁵Nb). ²³⁹Np is the parent nuclide of ²³⁹Pu; ⁵⁹Fe are presumably activation products of ⁵⁸Fe obtained by corrosion of cooling pipes. The results show that these activation and fission products, diffused within a month of the accident.

In February 2011 a MW 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand inundated urban waterways with sediment from liquefaction and triggered sewage spills. The impacts of, and recovery from, this natural disaster on the stream biogeochemistry and biology were assessed over six months along a longitudinal impact gradient in an urban river. The impact of liquefaction was masked by earthquake triggered sewage spills (∼20,000 m3 day−1 entering the river for one month). Within 10 days of the earthquake dissolved oxygen in the lowest reaches was <1 mg l−1, in-stream denitrification accelerated (attenuating 40–80% of sewage nitrogen), microbial biofilm communities changed, and several benthic invertebrate taxa disappeared. Following sewage system repairs, the river recovered in a reverse cascade, and within six months there were no differences in water chemistry, nutrient cycling, or benthic communities between severely and minimally impacted reaches. This study highlights the importance of assessing environmental impact following urban natural disasters.

In this study, the climate change, tsunami and biodiversity for 336 km coastline endangered at the South China Sea was investigated with the review for the past, current and prediction models for the future. The hydraulic study of the coastal area was conducted using a well-established 2D numerical model suite Delft3D. The study revealed that the generated earthquakes at the convergence zone in the last century are small (Mw7.3), the possibility that a megathrust earthquake event in the SCS basin occurs in the future. The study area comprises a narrow strip of vegetation notably dominated by Casuarina equisetifolia with other coastal plants. Mangrove forests are found along the coastline and estuaries that are overlaid with marine alluvial soils. The current paper is the first comprehensive study of the South China Sea, and the findings increase the awareness among the public to understand the risk associated with environmental pollution.

The abundance and composition of anthropogenic marine debris from 2012 to 2014 was assessed according to three bottom trawl surveys conducted on the upper continental slope between 198 m and 501 m off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. The surveys quantitated marine debris as follows: 33.52–164.62 items km⁻² (January to July 2012), 91.68–215.11 items km⁻² (November 2012 to May 2013), and 160.13–178.19 items km⁻² (November 2013 to May 2014). Plastic bags or household materials mainly dominated terrestrial sources of debris. Principal component analysis latitudinally divided the study area according to debris abundance caused by geographical and hydrodynamic features. The long-term effect of tsunami-associated debris on the seafloor environment was recognized, because terrestrial sources such as heavy household materials were most abundant throughout the study period, with the additional accumulation of fishing gear and plastic bags.

Elemental profiles in seawater, sediment and green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) were determined, following the deposition of earthquake demolition rubble into a newly developed sea-fill located adjacent to a busy commercial port with a history of diverse contaminant inputs. Zinc and lead displayed environmental concentrations that varied over time during sea-fill construction, and which declined with distance from the sea-fill, indicating that the sea-fill activity was the source of these two contaminants. A transplantation study using reference site mussels caged near the sea-fill, supported this finding. However, none of the trace metal burdens in resident or transplanted mussels were of regulatory concern. An integrated approach comprising the monitoring of multiple environmental matrices, examination of contaminant burdens as a function of time and distance from a putative point source, and the use of active biomonitoring techniques, is necessary to robustly identify novel contamination inputs in historically-polluted marine settings.

Impact pile-driving generates loud underwater anthropogenic sounds, and is routinely conducted in harbours around the world. Surprisingly few studies of these sounds and their propagation are published in the primary literature. To partially redress this we studied pile-driving sounds in Lyttelton Harbour, New Zealand, during wharf reconstruction after earthquake damage. That Lyttelton harbour is routinely used by Hector's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori), an endangered species found only in New Zealand, provided further context for this study. Steel piles of 0.61 or 0.71 m diameter were driven using three different pile-drivers. Maximum calculated source SEL was 192 dB re 1 μPa2s @ 1 m (SPL0−p of 213 dB re 1 μPa @ 1 m). Propagation of piling noise was strongly influenced by harbour bathymetry and a rock breakwater near the piling operation. We calculated range estimates at which Hector's dolphins may suffer temporary hearing threshold shift and behavioural change.

With putting a focus on the balance among the nutrient salts such as nitrogen and phosphorus, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) developed the Action Plan for Healthy Material Circulation in Ocean (just called the Healthy Plan). The plan aims to facilitate the healthy and smooth circulation of the nutrients with an integrated management over land and sea as a package in respective sea areas. The Healthy Plan is now in a pilot phase and is to be implemented for some selected model regions.Meanwhile, devastating tsunamis caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11th, 2011 severely damaged the natural environments in the affected regions. In the affected bays, seaweed beds and spawning grounds disappeared in a blink. MOE has launched on the recovery activities of Zostera (eelgrass) beds, using the concepts and the methods used in the “Sato-umi Creation” activity which is a purposeful environmental recovery project.