Are the two bodies of water shown in TikTok footage an indication of what the water in the area around Korea will look like due to the wastewater from the Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima? No, that's not true: The video shows the waters of the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea which are not able to mix.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on the TikTok account @nangezaicai on August 26, 2023. The caption reads, translated from Korean by Lead Stories staff:
Is it going to be like this in the ocean in Korea?
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing, with the hashtags #오염수방츌 #핵오염수 #후쿠시마 #생물 or #Contaminatedwater #Nuclearcontaminatedwater #Fukushima #Livingorganisms:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Nov 8 13:53:47 2023 UTC)
The video was also posted on the TikTok account @Cecilia on July 25, 2023 (archived here), explaining that it is where the waters of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea come together without mixing. The caption reads:
The Yellow River is distinct from the Bohai Sea. Have u ever seen this amazing scenery? #amazing #bohaisea #yellowriver
The original video (archived here) was uploaded on July 23, 2023, by @Amanda阿曼达 on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. It reads translated from Chinese by Lead Stories staff:
The Yellow River enters the Bohai Sea. The second comment contains netizens' and officials' explanations. Thank you everyone for liking the video and following it.
The video went viral on Douyin, with over three million likes. This was the post on Douyin at the time of writing, with the hashtags #黄河入海口 #黄海和渤海分 or #Yellowriverestuary #YellowseaandBohaisea:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Nov 8 13:55:47 2023 UTC)
Lead Stories staff also found a post of the video (archived here) on China Central Television (CCTV), China's national television broadcaster, reporting on the two bodies of water in China with a caption translated from Chinese by Lead Stories that reads:
"This is the 'Yuanyang hotpot' at the dividing line between the Yellow River and the Bohai Sea."
Yuanyang hotpot refers to a double-flavored pot that is divided into two parts: a spicy and non-spicy soup base. This is meant to explain the two bodies of water, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, which are not able to mix. The boundary of the waters is visible at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula. The Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, which is an extension of the Yellow Sea, are both located in northern China. Due to the difference in height, density, and temperature, the two bodies of water cannot mix. There is no reason to assume that the footage would be an indication of what the water around Korea would look like due to the wastewater from the Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
The Bohai Sea has one of the lowest salinity levels in China, which is due to the outflow of the Yellow River and the melting of the ice in spring. As the Bohai Sea collects a large amount of sediment from the Yellow River, the appearance is more yellow and dense, while the Yellow Sea looks dark blue because it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. This phenomenon is similar to the different colors of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans which also do not mix.
