Assessment of
the
fresh water residenc:
time will be made
from the
data. The well network, once established. ‘ill be available for resampling on subsequent trips we plan to the ato ] to thoroughly assess the
dynamics of radionuclide evcling in the round water reservoir and to
maintain a surveillance on the water cua.i’.. The program operation will
be fashioned after our knewetak ground water study and comparison of the
data from both atolls should be especial.v valuable for predicting the
mechanism and rates cf ‘constituents in gromd water at Pacific atolls.
The U. of Hawaii (Dr. R. Buddemeier) will iave the analytical responsi-
bility for major element analysis and LL.
V. E. Noshkin) will have the
responsibility for radionuclide assessment. We vill determine the
concentrations o: Cs137, Sr90, and plutoniim in all samples by radio
chemical techniques.
Gamma emitters preseit
in a ferric hydroxide pre-
cipitate will be identified and the levels assessed from the spectrometry
data. Tritium wi’] o.« measured on select 2d samples.
Plant/Soil SamplingProgram
Purpose:
The main thrust of the program «ill be to determine radionuclide
concentrations in food species, to correlate these with soil concentrations
at various depths, te determine nuclide availability to plants in the
coral soils, and to relate the food-species radioactivity to other indigenous nonfood species whi.h may have incicator species potential. The
unique information that this surve- will | rovide is:
1.
Soil-to-plant
able
and soil-to-fruit ccneentration factors
for detect-
radionuclides.
2.
The relationshir petween food s:ecies and nonfood species at the
same locatio
3.
The relationship vetween total -o >
activity which
the time o:
is available
to
the
radioactivity and the radiopliant
in the
soil solution at
-ampi ng.
4,
The relationsh:1
-f vegetation, -o1], soil water, litter, and humus
5.
The relationsh.r
water and jian’s
0.f lens water vadioactivits to that in soil
szrowing apove the .¢ens zone in order to deter-
mine the
toss
in the everall
cscling of radionw
rate of
(time
ides in mature
depenitent
information)
food crops.
from the coral
atoll ervirenment.
6.
Intra-islane viriibility in vegetition radionuclide concentrations.
7.
Supply the aata base for assessment of terrestrial food chain
transfer o1 radioactivity from he: soil to man for long-term dose
evaluation ‘01 rehabiliatioen o7
ie aroll.