ABSTRACT
The objectives were to: (1) survey the gamma radiation from fallout-contaminated ocean areas
by means cf aerial detectors and (2) fromthe aerial detectors make air-absorption measure-

ments so that the data might be related to the dose rates at 3 feet above the sea.

Radiation detectors were mounted in P2V-5 aircraft that surveyed the ocean areas of expected

fallout after Shots Cherokee, Zuni, Flathead, Navajo, Mohawk, and Tewa.

A control center co-

ordinatcd all air and surface radiation-survey activities to insure complete coverage of the fall-

out area. The contumination densities in the delineated areas were related to the percentage of
the total yield that produced fission products. Gamma-isodose plots were prepared fromdata
obtained during Shots Zuni, Flathead, Navajo, and Tewa. No fallout could be located following
Shot Cherokee and only on atoll islands after Shot Mohawk.
Zuni, a land-surface shot, contaminated 13,400 naut mi? of ocean

Navajo, a_water~surface shot, contaminated 10,500 naut mi?
; After Flathead, another water-surface shot, the outer boundary could not be
determinedbecause of contamination of project aircraft on D + 1 day by airborne radioactive

material that resulted in a high background.

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alues indicate 29 percent
| The fallout from the watersurface shots was concentrated primarily in the more remote areas, anda relatively small
amount fell close to ground zero.
rTewa, a reef shot, contaminated 43,500 naut mi’ of ocean
Helicoptersand P2V-5 aircraft were used to gather data for air-absorption measurements.
The aerial-survey technique may be used directly for radiological surveys over land. Over
the sea, the depth of mixing of the fallout in the water volume must be determined before the
survey results may be converted to equivalent land-fallout contours and contamination-density
distributions. Data on depth of mixing was obtained from samples of sea water collected by the
U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Repeated

aerial surveys provided information on the stability of the contaminated volume.

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