DESIGN OF THE BROOKHAVEN EXPERIMENT ON THE EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATION ON A TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1963 · Radiation Botany

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0033-7560(63)80033-2· OSTI ID:4655210

Woodwell, G M

A forest ecosystem on Long Island is being in radiated experimentally with chronic gamma radiation and will be studied over a period of years to appraise the potential effects of ionizing radiation at ecological levels of organization. The source of radiation is Cs/sup 137/, arranged for safety and simplicity of dosimetry in a centrally located tower and capable of being shielded by operation of a which in a remote building. Exposure rate decreases around this tower approximately with the square of the distance from the source and may vary by a factor of 2 along any arc around it owing to shielding by the vegetation. The steep decline in exposure rate with increasing distance from the source produces steep gradients of effects and the amount of replication, especially at the species level and during the first year of the study when prinicipal effects are close to the source, may be small. Two types of control data are available fron measurements of plant and animal populations in the experimental area prior to irradiation and other measurements from nonirradiated stands nearby. Within the experiment, data can be referred to a radial survey which defines location with reference to the source and hence exposure rate. Results of the first year's exposure of a stand of the Long Island oak-pine forest show that although plant populations were generally more sensitive to damage than had been anticipated, the first year's effects on plants can be predicted within broad limits from characteristics of the cell nucleus. The ability to make such predictions is of great value in planning this type of experiment. (auth)

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, N.Y.
• NSA Number: NSA-17-033537
• OSTI ID: 4655210
• Report Number(s): BNI-6772
• Journal Information: Radiation Botany, Journal Name: Radiation Botany Vol. Vol: 3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AGRICULTURE
ANIMALS
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
CESIUM 137
CYTOLOGY
DOSEMETERS
FORESTS
GAMMA RADIATION
MEASURED VALUES
PLANTS
POPULATIONS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIOSENSITIVITY
REMOTE HANDLING
SHIELDING
TESTING