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THE RADIOECOLOGY OF A BEACH
Author(s) -
Mauchline John,
Taylor Angela M.,
Ritson Eric B.
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1964.9.2.0187
Subject(s) - radioecology , radionuclide , seawater , environmental science , environmental chemistry , litter , silt , ecology , oceanography , chemistry , geology , biology , paleontology , physics , quantum mechanics
The accumulation of fission products, especially the insoluble radionuclides Ru 106 , Cc 144 , Zr 95 , and Nb 95 , by the fauna and flora on Windscale Beach is affected by the following factors: 1) the particle size and chemical composition of the substratum; 2) wind action on contaminated silt lifting it from near low‐water mark and depositing it near high‐water mark; 3) the vertical position of organisms on the beach, and, therefore, their coverage time by contaminated seawater; 4) movement of organisms on the beach which alters their coverage time; and 5) freshwater seepage and rainfall, assuming that their radionuclide contents are less than that of the seawater, causing decontamination of the organisms by washing. The position of an organism in the food chain is not considered to be a primary factor determining the levels of radionuclides accumulated by it.