Duncan Curry
ll Maren 1953
being expected in the surfice layers,
The pitch of eontsminated watar,
originally more or leas ellipsoid, will be elongated rapidly by currents
flowing weet at the surface and east at the bottom. The contaminated
water at the surface will be diluted by vertical axing with underlying
water at an estimated rate of 25% per hour.
The reduction in the cod=
centration of the bottom water moving eastward from the target area is
about 8f per hour.
Therefore, part of the radioactive products will be carried away
from tne target ares, but gart will be transferred by vortical disfusion to tha other currant and will ba carriad back again. Thus a
strip of contaminatod watur is developed whieh lLungthens westward with
the sp.og of current flow, but with rapidly diminishing coneuntration,
and eastward with the apeed of the bottom current. The saximua con~
centration will romain castward of the targot aroa.
At the ond of the first day the strip of contaminated water should
be about sevon milcs west-scuthwost of the targ.t arcs. The concentration at the western and of the strip is expocted to be about 0.01%
of tha initiil valuo taking into tscount vortieal ond horizontal dirfusion but n.gloacting radioactive deeay.
At the sastern end of the
lagoon tho .vorago concentration should be ‘bout 1€ of thy initial
value, but some patches my hiva 3 consontration of 10% OF more.
During the socond dfy, contamin.ted witor will begin to luavo tha
lagoon by a serios of ebb tide pulses through the southwosturn passus.
Tho amount luving tho l-goon will be very smli it first and will
increase during tho first wook or se to =< aixigum value of ibout 3%
of the total contaminsat inc diy's tine.
Thervaftor the r ta of loas
will be idout 3% of tha romcining contradnant per diy.
4.
Endwetok Lagoons] Circulrtion
The cireulation of Eniwetox Ingoon is similir to that of Bikini
in that 1% i9 deminintly wind driven.
During the spring mntns tne
current motion is vigorous from the northenatern reef to the western
reef ind through the southwest prsesge. The surface current is free
te move with. the wind but the bottom current is restrained -nd tends
to ~lign itealf with the mjor esst-wsst axis. Thoro thus is foracd +
sono of upwelling long ths casterm reof. Dotails of Eninotox cce~nc
graphy further thin comp-rison with Bikini ore not aviilaol;.
S$.
Dpffusion of Radionctivity in cniwctok Loon
In ligoon surfico dutonations, or nar l-goon surf-co deton-tions,
redtoactiva products will be distributed from surf.co to bottom wita
the higher conceantrtions in tho surface loycrs. {thin tno first
twalvo hours radiction lcvals will bo oxtrumuly hign, t-t radioictive
decay accomp-nicd by norizonts.. «nd vorticsl diffusion will tend to
F:-O