Radiological survey of plants, animals, and soil at five atolls in the Marshall Islands; September--October 1976
The Division of Operational Safety's portion of the Pacific Radioecology Program began in 1974 and it is a continuing program to determine the kinds and amounts of radionuclides distributed in the foods, plants, animals, and soils of the Central Pacific, especially the Marshall Islands. As part of this program, Wotje, Ailuk, Utirik, Rongelap, and Bikini tolls were visited in 1976 and samples collected. Results of the radiometric analyses of the samples are presented. Results of these analyses indicate that /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs are predominant in the terrestrial environment and, in addition, /sup 241/Am and /sup 239/ /sup 240/Pu are also important in the soil from Rongelap and Bikini Atols. Naturally occurring /sup 40/K is the predominant radionuclide in marine organisms, while /sup 60/Co is significant in the tridacnid clams. Amounts of radioactivity vary with distance from the Bikini test site and in relation to the fallout pattern from the March 1954 Bravo test. Thus, samples from Bikini Atol had the greatest amounts of radioactivity while the northern islands of Rongelap had slightly lower amounts. The southern islands of Rongelap Atoll and Utirik Atoll had intermediate amounts of radioactivity while Ailuk and Wotje atolls had the least radioactivity of the atolls visited.
- Research Organization:
- Washington Univ., Seattle (USA). Lab. of Radiation Ecology
- DOE Contract Number:
- EY-76-S-08-0269
- OSTI ID:
- 6455537
- Report Number(s):
- NVO-269-36; TRN: 79-008085
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Aerial radiological and photographic survey of eleven atolls and two islands within the Northern Marshall Islands. Dates of surveys, July-November 1978
The Northern Marshall Islands radiological survey: Data and dose assessments
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMERICIUM 241
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ANTIMONY 125
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
CESIUM 137
COBALT 60
CRUSTACEANS
RADIOACTIVITY
EUROPIUM 155
FISHES
MARSHALL ISLANDS
RADIOECOLOGY
MOLLUSCS
PLANTS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
POTASSIUM 40
SOILS
STRONTIUM 90
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
URANIUM 238
COMPILED DATA
TABLES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
ANIMALS
ANTIMONY ISOTOPES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT ISOTOPES
DATA FORMS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ECOLOGY
ECOSYSTEMS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EUROPIUM ISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
INVERTEBRATES
ISLANDS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MASS TRANSFER
MICRONESIA
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MONITORING
NUCLEI
OCEANIA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE EARTH ISOTOPES
RARE EARTH NUCLEI
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
510301* - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Soil- (-1987)
510302 - Environment
Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Terrestrial Ecosystems & Food Chains- (-1987)
520302 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Aquatic Ecosystems & Food Chains- (-1987)
560172 - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Animals- (-1987)
560173 - Radiation Effects- Nuclide Kinetics & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)