Marine plankton as an indicator of low-level radionuclide contamination in the Southern Ocean

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6802363· OSTI ID:6802363

Marsh, K V; Buddemeier, R W

We have initiated an investigation of the utility of marine plankton as bioconcentrating samplers of low-level marine radioactivity in the southern hemisphere. A literature review shows that both freshwater and marine plankton have trace element and radionuclide concentration factors (relative to water) of up to 10/sup 4/. In the years 1956-1958, considerable work was done on the accumulation and distribution of a variety of fission and activation products produced by the nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. Since then, studies have largely been confined to a few selected radionuclides, and by far most of this work has been done in the northern hemisphere. We participated in Operation Deepfreeze 1981, collecting 32 plankton samples from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Glacier on its Antarctic cruise, while Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories concurrently sampled air, water, rain and fallout. We were able to measure concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides /sup 7/Be, /sup 40/K and the U and th series, and we believe that we have detected low levels of /sup 144/Ce and /sup 95/Nb in seven samples ranging as far south as 68/sup 0/. There is a definite association between the radionuclide content of plankton and air filters, suggesting that aerosol resuspension of marine radioactivity may be occurring. Biological identification of the plankton suggests a possible correlation between radionuclide concentration and foraminifera content of the samples. 38 references, 7 figures, 3 tables.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6802363
• Report Number(s): UCRL-53549; ON: DE84016306
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520300* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AEROSOLS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ANTARCTIC OCEAN
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BERYLLIUM 7
BERYLLIUM ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CESIUM 144
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COLLOIDS
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NIOBIUM 95
NIOBIUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PACIFIC OCEAN
PLANKTON
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
SEAS
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
SOLS
SURFACE WATERS
THORIUM 228
THORIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM 235
URANIUM 238
URANIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES