Comparative behavior of three long-lived radionuclides in forest ecosystems
This paper deals with studies in three forest ecosystems in eastern Tennessee, an area of rich temperate deciduous forests, sometimes referred to as mixed mesophytic forests. Two of these forest ecosystems were contaminated as a result of waste disposal operations. The third was experimentally tagged with millicurie quantities of /sup 137/Cs. One of these ecosystems is a floodplain forest that is typical of this region. This forest has been growing on alluvial soils since 1944. Prior to that time the area was a temporary holding pond within White Oak Creek which received radioactive effluents from ORNL. Radiocesium was deposited in the pond sediments as were /sup 90/Sr, /sup 239/Pu, /sup 241/Am, and other radionuclides. The dam which created the pond failed in late 1944, and the area was allowed to revert to natural conditions. The result was the development of a floodplain forest consisting of three different forest communities. The soils are fertile alluvials representative of bottomlands. The overstory tree species are principally ash, sycamore, boxelder, willow, and sweetgum (Fraxinus americana L., Plantanus occidentalis L., Acer negundo L., Salix nigra Marsh, and Liquidambar styraciflua L., respectively).
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6937995
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8609191-2; ON: DE87001836
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Seminar on the cycling of long-lived radionuclides in biosphere: observation and models, Madrid, Spain, 15 Sep 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMERICIUM 241
RADIOECOLOGY
CESIUM 137
FORESTS
ECOSYSTEMS
RADIONUCLIDE KINETICS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
PLUTONIUM 239
STRONTIUM 90
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SOILS
TENNESSEE
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
ECOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FEDERAL REGION IV
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
USA
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
510300* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560162 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Animals
Plants
Microorganisms
& Cells