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184
RECOVERY OF THE LAND PLANTS AT ENIWETOK ATOLL
Island by the Division of Biology and Medicine
plants also were observed. Before the Nec
sampling programme was furnished by Joint
Task Force Seven of Operation Castle.
tion, and at approximately monthly inter\
thereafter, observations and measurements w
detonation the plants were staked, labell
measured and photographed. After the deto
of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and logistic support to carry out the
madeof the plants and photographsweretak:
Thestudy of the land plants was a part of the
Scaevola sericea Vahl, a woody shrub, was cho:
as the principal plant for study because of
widespread occurrence on the islands oft
over-all programmeof the Laboratory of Radiation Biology. In this report only the results of
this portion of the programme are presented.
The results of the investigations on the following
organisms already have been reported: reef
fish? land
algae,.{19)
crabs,"
invertebrates‘®),
Central Pacific Ocean. The other plants studi
in detail were: Messerschmidia argentea, Guetta
speciosa and: Cocos nucifera, trees; Lepturus repe
a grass; Boerhaavia tetrandra and Triumfe
procumbens, prostrate vines; and Portulaca olerac.
and
The objective of the land plant programme
was to determine the length of time required
for a plant damaged by a nuclear detonation
a fleshy herb. The locations of these plants -
the island are shownin Fig.2.
Gammasurvey-meter readingsalso weretak:
to determine the gamma dose to which ti
_ to resume its normal functions of growth and
reproduction while being subjected to chronic
radiation.
The main site of study was Belle Island
plants were subjected.
tion (Fig. 1). This area was estimated to be far
enough removed from ground zero that the
plants would not be uprooted by physical forces
yet would be im an area of sufficient radio-
The gamma survey-meter readings taken .
Belle Island during the period of investigatic
are given in Fig. 3, which includes the theoretic,
gamma dose rate according to MILLER an
METHODS
minute after the detonation to the end of 20
studied in detail; however, numerous other
Before the Nectar detonation, the plants o
Belle Island were generally green and healthy
activity for the proposed study.
Representative plants of the eight most
common species growing in the area were
RESULTS
Loes.?® The accumulated total dose from on
days was calculated to be approximately 400 :
re
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ek
(Bogombogo), 2-7 miles W-SW of the detona-
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-
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Fig. 2. Diagram of Belle Island, Eniwetok Atoll, showing the location of the land plant
stations and the collecting areas.
ade: pene
Area A
1216 Guettarda speciosa
1408 Messerschmidia argentea
1410 Lepturus repens
Area C
1207 Boerhaavia tetrandra
1208 Triumfetta procumbens
Area D
1319 Scaevola sp.
1211 Portulaca oleracea
1412 Cocos nuctfera
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