Pine trees grow abnormally after the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Researchers discovered many strange features in plants around the Fukushima plant caused by radiation left over from the 2011 incident.

The pine tree near the Fukushima plant does not sprout.

In the study, published January 15 in the journal Plants, scientists describe changes in plant structure near the site of the partial melting event at the Fukushima Dai Nuclear Power Plant-- ichi (FNPP) after the earthquake and tsunami damaged the plant's cooling system. A magnitude 9.1 earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean, causing huge waves that destroyed the backup system at the plant.

After an accident, ionizing radiation and radioactive materials are released into the surrounding environment and come into contact with nearby vegetation. Plants in the study exhibited some unusual characteristics for many years after the incident. Ionizing radiation is a type of energy that separates electrons from atoms and molecules in air, liquids and solid matter, potentially endangering living organisms.

To draw their conclusions, the team examined ridge rings, the places on plants where leaves, wings, or needles protrude from a central point. Instead of branching as usual, the ridges grow abnormally, not even sprouting like a plant not exposed to radiation. Furthermore, the number of strange mutations corresponds to the amount of radiation the plant is exposed to.

The study's authors, led by Dr Gian Marco Ludovici of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, said another unusual feature they found was the absence of shoots in Japanese fir and red pine. This happened after the spring of 2012 and peaked in 2013, but the exact reason remains a mystery. The study provides further evidence that ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents can alter the structure of conifers. The researchers said the anomalies they found were similar to those found in Scots pine trees in a hazardous area within a 30-kilometer radius around the Chernobyl plant after the 1986 nuclear disaster.