Simultaneous fielding of our progrem with Noshkin's alleviates one of the
major concerns end problems associated with research in whe Pecific atcils.
Therefore, if funding were supplied for the manpower for the terrestrial
part of the program and for the necessary travel and esriculture surpiies,
the program could be initiated immediately (January, February 1975).
e
The specific projects for Enewetek end Bikini are now discussed in cetail.
A.
Enewetak
The specific tasks to be carried out at Enewetak are as follows
> 2.
Pest Plantings and Radionuclide Reevcling
>
Test plots of coconut, pandanus, and breadfruit will be planted immediately.
Depending cn the size of the starter plants a lag time of three to five years
can be expected before fruit will be available. sheverores acditional test
plantings of arroxroot, squash,
pareye,
bananas and sweet potetces will also
wits
weed
be initiated immediately.
These crops will rroduce very ouickly.
In cenguneticn
with data on reacicnuclide ccncentraticns in soll,
they will lead to
concentration factors
r for Puod orcducis an also to direct measuremnts of
radionuclide cone entration in feed preducts.
Tritiated water will be inject
into the groundwater at the rcot zone to determine the magnitude and rate of
uptake of soil groundwater by the different plant species.
Various forms of fertilizers will also be evaluated for eny reduction of
radionuclide uo
(
nd Sr) by these food chain plants. For exemple,
high-potessiun
i
way sisgnirican
antly reguce tne uptake of Cs,
and
effects of phosonr
greatly eltered
the K content.
z
;
islands should be tested
um, nitrozen and other trace metals may recult in
th Cs and Sr. Mule hing could be used to increase
veretation cut
for clearing on "cola" soutner
S$ a mulch in the "hot" northern islends.
» Clean transported soil beds will elso be established on
the nortnern isl
with clean soil from southern islands sucn as Japten and Perry. The clean beds
will enable us to directly evaluate the role of vesetation as a mejor feedbec
mechanism in the cycling of radionuclices in the atoll ecosystem.
The use
clean beds, the removal of litter dropped from the vegetation, end mulcning
with clean vegetation from the south could serve to interrupt the cycling of
radionuclides.
As indicated, the decay of litter to form humus material may well be the
primary source of eveailable radionuclides to plants.
It is essential to
Valuate the ebove-ground kinetics thet produce the input to the Grourevers
system. Therefore, biomass measurements will be made on Engebi to eesee
the standing-crop inventories of redicnuclides.,
Litter-fa11 collectors an
litter-bags will be employed to determine rates of litter fall and itt
decay. These measurements combined with data on groundweter cycling wi
important for a co:nprehensive understanding of radionuclide cycling and re
in the Atoll ecosysten.