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so that it disintegrates a ship, some of the activity will become
associated with heavier particles (of the disintegrated ship) than

are formed for a true free-water burst, and more rapid mixing of the
radioactive particles with the water and their penetration to greater
water depths will probably occur.
Exact rates and depths of fallout
penetration are difficult to predict, but estimates can be made by
comparing results at tests in the Pacific, where the differences in
rates and depths of fallout penetration resulting from barge and island shots were probably primarily due to differences in particles
sizes.

All the waterborne radioactive particles resulting from a surface
or shallow subsurface burst will be distributed initially in the upper
water layer, often referred to as the “mixed leyer," that may be from
less than 30 meters to more than 150 meters thick, depending on the geographic location.

The temperature of this layer is quite uniform from the

sea surface to the bottom of the layer, or to the thermocline, below which

the temperature decreases rapidly with depth. When a substance of soluble
or colloidal nature, or one having about the same density ase water, falls
on the ocean surface, it becomes distributed into the mixed layer fairly

rapidly, often within a few hours.

However, because of the sharp increase

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in density below the mixed layer, little further downward penetration
of particles of this type occurs.

For an underwater burst so deep that the bubble undergoes one or

more pulsations before reaching the surface, some activity probably will
be distributed along the path of bubble migration, particularly at bubble minima, some activity will be thrown into the air and mixed with the
plumes and base surge, and some will remain in the water at the surface
where the bubble breaks through, resulting in a region of contaminated

water about surface zero.

The distribution of the radioactive particles

at later times, for such a shot, will be dependent on the burst depth,
the water depth, the thickness of the mixed layer, and the prevailing
winds and water currents.
17.7.3 Water-Contamination Data

Some references* give water-contamination data obtained
following (1) land and water-surface shots at Operations Castle and
Redwing; (2) the shallow underwater shot, Bikini Baker at Operation

Crossroads; (3) the shallow bottom shot, Umbrella at Operation Hard-

tack; (4) the moderately deep shot Wahoo at Operation Hardtack; and

(5) Wigwam, the deep underwater shot.

Deta indicate that both the

nature and distribution in water of the radioactive particles resulting

from bursts over land surfaces are different from those of particles

resulting from bursts over water surfaces, and that these characteristics

are affected by the kind and mass of material engulfed by the fireball.

*References 31,

32, 33, 40, 42, 64, 65, and 76 through 84.

17-91

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