22
1000 meters, with the peak in much shallower water.

sediments Sr and Ca are barely detectable.

Even in shallow water

According to Dr. Vaughn Bower,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, no one has been able to measure them
in deep water sediments.

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Zirconium-95, niobium-95, and corium-141~144 were found in bottom
dwelling sca cucumbers at depths of 2800 meters immediately after the

1961-1962 tcsts.

It is thought that these nuclides, which are not appreciably

_ concentrated in the tissues of orgunisms (if at all), are carried down in
the rain of fecal pellets of animals living near the surface of the oceans”,
Cerium and promethium isotopes not carried down by biological processes,

move downward only very slowly>.
Assays of sediments from all oceans show that the major radionuclides
present are naturally occurring radionuclides of the uranium-thor ium series and

-potassium-40.

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Measurements of sea water reveal that practically all of the radioactivity

in sea water at the present time is potassium-40, which is universallypresent

in the amount of about 331 pCi/liter.

Cesium-137 and strontium-90 can be

measured only by special techniques in which the radionuclide is concentrated

from rather large quantities of sea water prior to radioanalysis.

In compariso

natural potassium-40 can be measured easily without pre-concentration.
Zirconium-95 und the cerium rudioisotopes can be measured in sea water only

shortly after forcign atmospheric tests.

2,
3.

Osterberg, C., A. Carey, Jr. and fl. Curl, Jr., 1963.

1276-1277.

Sugihara, T., and V. Bowen, 1962.
and Industry, IAEA, 57.

Nature, 200 (4913):

Radioisotopes in the Physical Sciences

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