-microplankton to that in the
iificant (on the average 0.00025
ial on the filter paper may be
inorganic particulate matter.
' of the filter papers.
kton per unit volume of sea
kton volumes reported by the
urveys made in 1956 and 1957
e volumes of water strained by
with the volumes of plankton
/ ml of plankton was collected
7,800 and the carbonate/plankton ratio 28,000. The ratio of the total activity
in the sea-water to that in the plankton increased by a factor of about 37/,
during the 2'/,-month interval between the surveys. A greater increase in
activity occurred during the time between the two surveys conducted in
August and September 1958. The first survey was done aboard the USS
Collett during the period 8-14 August 1958, and the ratio of activity associated
with the particulate matter to that in the plankton was 1,500 and that for
the soluble activity to that in the plankton 9,400. During the survey made
three weeks later aboard the USS Silverstein, the ratios were 5,100 and
100,000 respectively. The total activity in the water compared to that in
the plankton increased by a factor of about 9.5 during the three-week interval.
The mechanism involved in the apparent increase of activity in the water
with respect to that in the plankton is not known. In order to determine
the factors involved, techniques must be devised to divide the particulate
matter in the water into its organic and inorganic fractions and to separate
tok Test Site in 1956 and 1958,
m was low in comparison to
ne dissolved material (Table IT).
the colloidal and soluble fractions from each other. In addition, accurate
measurements must be made of the total volume of water strained during
each plankton haul. At the present time these problems have not been solved.
Radioactivity in fish samples from Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls cannot
be related to any specific date of origin of contamination, since the weapons
test programme at the atolls has continued over a period of years and residual
rIVITY IN PLANKTON
Co,
Filter paper + CO,
jlankton
plankton
7,600
28,000
10,500 4—23 days
|
9,400
TABLE III
RESULTS OF RADIOCHEMICAL ANALYSES ON ORGANS AND TISSUES OF FISH
TAKEN IN AND NEAR THE ENIWETOK TEST SITE
after detonation
10,900 at end of
|
Sample
series
100,000
i
Mnit ||
. Yellowfin tuna—Eniwetok
Lagoon, June 1958
(during tests)
Red muscle
White muscle
Fei?
|
Co?
=
5
Co®
|!
| trace!
. OO
i
|
|
|
4
Atoll, July 1957
(3 years post-shot**)
i
sea, July—Sept. 1958
(during tests)
|
White muscle
i
Tuna—Marshall Islands, open |
Red muscle
|
:
ol
0.2
0.3 |
| 01)
Bone
|
i
OO
70
41
|
|
!
0
0
‘trace trace
1 Oo | 90
|
27 |
'
0
72.
86
35
26
Liver
Skin
|
4
1
l-1
Fish liver-—Eniwetok
Lagoon, Sept. 1956
(six weeks post-shot)
Reeffish liver—Ailinginae
1 material 7,600 times as much
x
|
|
trace
'
0
|
|
!
‘
:
0
0
Coo
|
|
[
Liver
gt
|
!
Kidney
Spleen
\iddle two weeks of June 1956
ipling stations. Two centres of
rea and were sampled 4-6 days
1e devices producing the fallout.
articulate matter greater than
Tee Te hy mame
Fess
|
series
13,900 4 and 6 days
post-shot
10,300 23 days postshot
per litre of water. The samples
t area resulting from contaminater shots, and (2) a contaminnts of calcium compounds from
ble difference existed between
iicroplankton nor the dissolved
‘oO areas.
ie USS Marsh approximately
iter paper/plankton ratio was
Isotope *
es
105,000 ~ 3 weeks after
end
of
test
10,500
7,400
{
after detonation
36,000 ~90 days
.
38
:
; 22
|
1
17
2
Booc<dl
6
3
.
4
Zns 5|
1
I
Nb#
Po
trace| 21
0
40
11
4
1
| zr
||
5
|
5
|
|
| 36
8
26
4
1} 3
' 7) <}
| 47, trace
.
3
40
0
0.2
87.0'
;
11.1
02
181
0.2
Ld
0.1;
06/<01'809
0
5.4
<0.1
05
0
6.9
6.1
0.3
12,
1.7
O38
0.4:
O11
* Sr?—V9, Rul—Rhé Cgl37__Bat8?, Cel44—_Pr!4 not found in samples.
** Major contamination during March 1954. Recontaminated slightly during 1956.
90.5
91.5 |
905:
O
0
0