Workshop: Methods for Estimating Radiation Release from Fukushima Daiichi,

fukushima

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International Workshop on Source Term Estimation (STE) Methods for Estimating the Atmospheric Radiation Release from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

February 22-23, 2012 | NCAR, Boulder, Colorado | Mesa Lab, Damon Room

Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged the nuclear power plant in Fukushima Japan, an unknown quantity of radioactive material was released into the air and water surrounding the damaged nuclear power plant. Accurately characterizing the radiation released from the Fukushima plant is an ongoing process for Japanese researchers and government officials who support decisions impacting the safety of people living and working near Fukushima.

Unfortunately, the radiation source term estimation (STE) problem for the Fukushima incident poses some unique challenges that have yet to be fully addressed by the scientific community. As a result, there is large uncertainty in the current estimate of the radioactive material released and a corresponding large uncertainty in the radiation fallout estimates and environmental impact that are critical to the public safety decisions described above. The proposed workshop will bring together leading STE and atmospheric dispersion researchers from Academia/Private Industry/Government/National Laboratories in the United States (US) and subject matter experts (SMEs) from Japan with expertise in observations and STE for the Fukushima incident. The goal would be to present current approaches, available data, and discuss how the current state- of-the-science can be extended to address these challenging unanswered questions. We anticipate that the results of this workshop will provide recommendations for a set of scientific options that can be used to provide a better quantification of the amount of airborne radiation released from the Fukushima power plant, and inform the broader scientific community of how to tackle this type of problem. The results will be provided to our Japanese colleagues to address their immediate needs and published in a peer-reviewed journal to inform the broader scientific community.


Click on links below to download pdf presentations.
(* = presentation not available for public release, however can be requested from the author for approved uses)

Workshop Chair: Dr. Paul Bieringer

Wednesday | February 22, 2012 | Mesa Lab - Damon Room

08:00 – 08:30
Continental breakfast
08:30 – 09:00
Welcome and Introduction
Dr. Brant Foote, Scott Swerdlin, and Dr. Paul E. Bieringer
09:00 – 10:20
Session I – Review of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Atmospheric Radiation Release and Response
 
09:00
Introduction of Fukushima Event and Response Session
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
09:05
Introduction of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident
Ms. Tomomi Matsunaga, Kansai Electric Power Company
09:40
NARAC Source Reconstruction During the Response to the FukushimaDai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Emergency
Gayle Sugiyama and John Nasstrom, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
10:00
Session I – Q&A and discussion
10:20 – 10:40
Coffee break
10:40 – 12:00
Session II – Observations from the Fukushima Accident
 
10:40
Introduction of Fukushima Observations Session
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
10:55
Description of Observations Collected around the Fukushima Site by the US DOE Teams*
Dr. Steve Kreek, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
11:15
CTBTO Radionuclide Detections in the Aftermath of the Fukushima Release and a Necessity for Improved Source Inversion Algorithms
Dr. Monika Krysta, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization – (CTBTO)
11:35
Session II – Q&A and discussion
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch - Mesa Laboratory Cafeteria
13:00 – 16:00
Session III – Methods for Source Term Estimation of Atmospheric Radiation Release
13:00
Introduction of Wednesday STE Methods Session
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
14:15
Back-trajectory Based Methods for Source Parameter Estimation
Dr. Andrew Annunzio, National Center for Atmospheric Research
14:30
Coffee break
14:45
Source Term Estimation for the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Accident
Dr. Guido Cervone, George Mason University
15:05
Polynomial Chaos Based Minimum Variance Approach for Characterization of Source Parameters
Dr. Tarun Singh, State University of New York at Buffalo
15:45
Session III – Q&A and discussion
16:00 – 17:00
NCAR Tour
17:00
Adjourn
19:00
No host dinner

Thursday | February 23, 2012 | Mesa Lab - Damon Room

08:00 – 08:30
Continental breakfast
08:30 – 10:00
Session IV – Methods for Source Term Estimation of Atmospheric Radiation Release (Continued)
08:30
Introduction of Thursday STE Methods Session
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
08:55
Estimation of Source Parameters for Hazard Releases
Dr. Gareth Brown, UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL)
09:15
An Adjoint Approach for the Estimation of Source Terms for Atmospheric Releases
Luna Rodriguez, National Center for Atmospheric Research
09:35
Session IV – Q&A and discussion
10:00 – 10:15
Coffee break
10:15 – 11:30
Session V – Atmospheric Data Assimilation, Modeling, and Relevant Physical Processes
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
10:15
Introduction to Atmospheric Modeling and Physical Processes Session
10:40
Modeling the Physical Processes that Impact the Fate and Fall-out of Radioactive Materials
Van Ramsdell, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
11:00
Session V – Q&A and discussion
11:30 – 13:00
Lunch - Mesa Laboratory Cafeteria
13:00 – 14:45
Session VI – Session Break-out Groups
13:00
Introduction to Break-out Group Session
Dr. Paul E. Bieringer, National Center for Atmospheric Research
13:05
Discussions on topics presented in previous sessions
designated facilitators will facilitate discussion, prepare, and present reports
 
Break-out group discussion (each group will consist of about 4-8 members)

Define current state of the topic
• Identify and prioritize gaps
• Suggest path forward
• Break-out group report preparation
group discussion facilitators prepare reports with help from group members
14:45 – 15:00
Coffee break
15:00 – 17:00
Session VII – Plenary Session with Reports from Break-out Sessions
16:15
Plenary session Q&A and discussion
17:00
Adjourn
19:00
No host dinner
 
Session VIII – Poster Sessions
 
 
Posters will be available for viewing and discussion during all of the session coffee and lunch breaks. The posters will also be included in the break-out session discussions.
 
P1.
Radiological Source Characterization Using L1 norm Minimization
Dr. Tarun Singh, State University of New York at Buffalo
P2.
Application of the HYSPLIT Model for Source Term Estimation
Lori Mandable, George Mason University

Friday | February 24, 2012 | Mesa Lab - Damon Room

08:00 – 08:30
Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 12:00
Session IX – Science and Steering Committee Meeting
8:30
Post workshop science committee break-out meeting
10:30
Break
10:45
Post workshop science committee break-out meeting
12:00
Meeting Adjourned and Lunch

Scientific Steering Committee

  • Dr. Paul Bieringer, NCAR
  • Dr. Steve Hanna, Harvard School of Public Health
  • Dr. John Hannan, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
  • Dr. George Young, Pennsylvania State University
  • Dr. Branko Kosovic, NCAR

Full Attendee List

Symposium registration form

Space is limited and if interested in participating, we encourage you to contact Valerie Harris (vharris[ at ]ucar.edu) to reserve your place.

If you are interested presenting relevant scientific work, please include a short abstract (250 words) describing this work. Due to time constraints abstracts must be submitted no later than February 1st, 2012.

A limited number of awards are available to cover student and participant travel expenses. To apply for a travel award please include a short white-paper describing relevant scientific work and/or why you are interested in participating in the workshop.

We look forward to seeing you at this workshop!

Workshop Fee

None

Hotel Accommodations

Best Western Golden Buff Lodge
1725 28th Street
Boulder, CO   80301-1042
Phone:  800.999.2833
Email:  bwgoldenbuff@yahoo.com

Group Name:  Fukushima/NCAR Workshop (block of rooms reserved under this name)
Group Number:  33199
Rate:  $64.00 plus tax
Continental Breakfast: Complimentary
NCAR Contact:  Rhonda Moore, 303.497.8389

Refreshments and Meals

There will be light refreshments served before the start of each day and during the morning and afternoon breaks.

Lunch: 
Wednesday:  Mesa Lab Cafeteria on your own
Thursday:  Mesa Lab Cafeteria on your own

Dinner:
Wednesday:  No-host dinner at 6:30 pm at The Mediterranean Restaurant (The Med). 
Please send an email to vharris@ucar.edu for inclusion in reservation.

Thursday:  No-host dinner at 6:30 pm at The Walnut Brewery. 
Please send an email to vharris@ucar.edu for inclusion in reservation.

Directions


View Larger Map

Directions to Best Western Golden Buff Lodge from Denver Airport:

Exit the airport on to Pena Boulevard.  Merge onto I-70 West.  Exit onto I-270 West (Exit #279) toward Fort Collins.  Merge onto US-36 West.  Once you are in Boulder, US-36 becomes 28th street. At the corner of Canyon and 28th, you will see the Best Western Golden Buff on your left.




View Larger Map

Directions to Mesa Lab from Best Western Golden Buff Lodge:

Take 28th Street south to Baseline Road ramp toward CO-93.  Keep right at the fork and get on Baseline Road.  Turn left onto Broadway Street.  Turn right onto Table Mesa Drive.  The Mesa Lab is at the top of the hill on Table Mesa drive.  The conference is in the Damon Room on the second floor (ML-239).



Directions to dinner

These directions will be provided at the workshop.

General questions: Valerie Harris, vharris[ at ]ucar.edu

Travel questions: Rhonda Moore, rhonda[ at ]ucar.edu

Publications

Methods for Estimating the Atmospheric Radiation Release from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant, BAMS January 2013
by Paul E. Bieringer, Steven Hanna, George Young, Branko Kosovic, John Hannan, and Ryohji Ohba