~

-

Gaelen Le Felt

.

Lee lame Selentific Laboratory

June 1954

is

antroduction t

Tua problem of longeraenge,fall-out fran very large devices (megatons)
wes fiset axmined pricr to Oparstion IVY. it that time the methods of

analysis were cased on a simple theoretical acdel devised to evaluate the
hozards fram the Janglo shcts and on the ampirical results from lowyicld
tests in Nevada, Noither source was truly aprlicable in detail to MIXE,

& factwell-imow at the tine, wt the ceneral result, as we imow from

waa correct; 1.6., fall-cut fromMIKE under adverse conditians

couldhave been very severc at distanses of 200 to 300 miles. The actual
conditicns on MIXE-Day wero, cf course, favorable tut at the same tins
rather urrusual in that the location of the main fall-out waa well clear
of all populated areas.
The rare .courronce of ideal conditions, the length of the C’STLE

oeration, aml the very evident ‘asards from the devices made necessary

@ re-eximinaticn of the problem of fall-out. In the field such a ree
examination could be very crude :t best, geared as it wa to the immediately
practical aim °f operational forecasting. It was necessary to devise «
system of forecasting simrle encugh to provide results besed on the latact
possible weataer information, beth observations ani forecasts, conservative
enough to guar ntese no repetition of the unfortunate results cf
_ and

differvnt from those know to be ideal (no serthern components frou surface

to 100,070 ft and axis of fall<cut between abart 315° and 045°).

The treatasn= generally used in Mevada with acderate success ws pretty

clearly nct- well suited to fall<cutforecasting at the Pacific Proving

Grounds axeept poesthly under the conditionof “deep easterlies", wien all

‘dnd vectors fram the surface up are cagtefty (an alternate “ideal” situatia

incidentally for Bxiwetek Stoll but not for Bikini). The basic difficulty

with ualag the Nevada system for analysis of the effects of larze devices

in the Pacifie is that the wind structure im the Pacific is not primarily

ticnal in the pertinent altitude ranges. The ueual fall-out pattern
» orcadened at tines by the presence of Licht and |
veritable winds and by the cecasional presence of abnormally creat directioaal shear bub still confined to a mall sector. This general sharacter is
» Mere the directional shear is alncst
net often found in the P.
Always very sreat just above the east-northeast flow in the low altituces

and again a& the tropopeuse (usually about $5,000 to 60,000 ft).

ch includes all.the distant fall-out is very

f

s
%

3

e

In the

frequently 180° and cecasionally evon greeter.

Select target paragraph3