Cad co Ae AREEO ie ny ap “ere ERP se RCNR Concentration of plutonium isotopes in a coral section corresponding TABLE 3. to the growth year 1971-1972. station B-3. Coral taken at Bikini Atoll at Noshkin et al., 1974 pCi/a, dry, + % error 2385, wow ot 0.005 + 18 23942400, 0.13 +7 2405, 0.058 + ] > REE-0 “UP ORETERER Tyeirene 1.5 + 6 Noshkin et al. (op. cit.) found the 23942405, concentration in the coral averaged over the years 1968-1972 was 0.23 dpm/g. 2 IA ET 241, The concentrationfactor between the coral and sea water (for this same period) was estimated at 2,700. Sakanoue et al. (1971) found .0042 d/m/g 23942405, in a coral taken from an {sland near the Ryuku islands south of Japan. If the plutonium (239+240) con- centration in East China sea water (one of several also reported by Sakanoue) is used to calculate a concentraticn factor, a similar value of 2,500 is Oi tained, 4. 4.1 EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES Collections and Preliminary Sample Treatment An Ekman dredge and a 3-inch, inside diameter, gravity coring cevice were used for the collection of surface sediments and sediment cores at *** locations shown in Fig. 5. The collections were made during October and ‘cverher of 1972 aboard the Puerto Rico Nuclear Center ship RMV R. F. Palumbo. :. F. G. Lowman (Puerto Rico Nuclear Center), V. E£. Noshkin (Lawrence -'verrore Laboratory), and W. R. Schell (Laboratory of Radiation Ecology) and ieeer ome mmegign rmnet ae merters of each of these principal investiagors' staff were responsible for ** sammole collections detailed in Tables 4 and 5. Fror the surface of each grab sample, a 7-cm diameter by 2.54 cm deep ‘! ‘*2ical "core" (about 100 g dry weight) was removed for analysis as surface “strent. Although an attempt was made to collect sediment cores from every