Radionuclides in plankton from the South Pacific Basin Page: 4 of 11
This report is part of the collection entitled: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
northern hemisphere. These releases have, in general, been
documented and considerable research has been done to char-
acterize the fate of this radioactivity. The most extensive
previous work on radionuclides in plankton was done during
the nuclear tests at the Pacific Proving Grounds in 1956 and
19581-5.
The southern hemisphere has been generally free of ra-
dionuclide input with the exception of the nuclear tests
in the Tuamotus and some relatively small discharges from
nuclear power plants. Very little sampling of the marine
environment has been done, especially in the open ocean,
and only a few studies of atmospheric radionuclide concen-
trations, principally at Antarctica, have been carried out.
Since the southern hemisphere is nearly all ocean, any ra-
dionuclides that are released will be likely to find their
way into the marine environment. While the fate of large
releases could possibly be predicted by computer models of
atmospheric or oceanic tranport in time for concentrated
samples to be collected, chronic low-level sources cannot
be so characterized and their contribution to the marine
environment is not predictable. Fortunately, marine plank-
ton, especially the phytoplankton, are particularly sensi-
tive monitors of most anthropogenic radionuclides, having
concentration factors of several hundred to several thou-
sand for many elements. They are excellent indicators of
radioactive contamination although truly quantitative mea-
surements are difficult because concentration and separa-
tion factors are not well known and are probably quite
variable.
Analysis of plankton has several advantages over other
types of marine samples. The referenced work in the Paci-
fic Proving Grounds has shown that uptake of radioactivity
is rapid relative to dispersal and dilution, and once it
has occurred, recycling keeps the radionuclides in the bio-
tic layers and retards losses. These processes assure us
that the plankton trace a particular water mass, a fact con-
firmed by the great distances over which they were followed
in the Pacific Ocean.2 Reported concentration factors4 in-
dicate plankton sampling provides a detection capability
equivalent to 0.01 - 0.1 pCi per liter of sea water for most
radionuclides. As a practical matter, we can collect plank-
ton anywhere a ship can go by utilizing inexpensive equip-
ment and simple techniques. The final samples are easily
transported, stored and analyzed.
The principal disadvantage of plankton analysis is
that calibration sufficiently reliable to permit calcula-
tion of water concentrations is very difficult. While some
attempts have been made and procedures suggested for cali-
bration,6'7 concentration factors depend on such uncontrol-
lable parameters as species composition, growth stages, and2
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View seven places within this report that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Marsh, K.V. & Buddemeier, R.W. Radionuclides in plankton from the South Pacific Basin, report, March 23, 1984; California. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1055868/m1/4/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.