According to new research, within 3 years of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, the resulting radioactive ocean plume will reach American shores. It is likely to be harmless.

Atmospheric radiation was detected within days of the incident along the west coast, but ocean particles take considerably longer to travel the same distance.

In the paper, published in the journal Deep-Sea Research 1, researchers from the Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science used various ocean simulations to track the path of the radiation from its source and identify the most likely travel paths for the next 10 years.