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ZINC 65 IN EUPHAUSIIDS AS RELATED TO COLUMBIA RIVER WATER OFF TIIE OREGON COAST
Author(s) -
Osterberg Charles,
Pattullo June,
Pearcy William
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.1964.9.2.0249
Subject(s) - oceanography , salinity , plume , water mass , estuary , environmental science , discharge , hydrology (agriculture) , seawater , submarine pipeline , river mouth , pacific ocean , geology , fishery , sediment , geography , drainage basin , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , meteorology , paleontology
Most of the zinc 65 in the northeast Pacific Ocean originates in the Columbia River as a result of the Hanford, Washington, nuclear reactor operations. The Columbia River is also the principal source of freshwater in the region, so that at certain seasons the plume of the river is detectable far at sea because of its low salinity. In an effort to determine the fate of the river water at sea, euphausiids from the ocean off Oregon were used as biological monitors. Zn 65 content of euphausiids was measured by gamma‐ray spectrometry, and relationships between Zn 65 content and salinity distributions over the area were examined. Some correlations were apparent, but deviations occurred. For example, Zn 65 levels remained fairly high off Oregon even when Columbia River water was not evident as a low‐salinity plume. This indicates that water from the Columbia River, which accumulates as a plume off Oregon in the summer, influences the ZN 65 content in animals in the area throughout the year. The long half‐life of Zn 65 in the mixed layer, diurnal migrations of euphausiids, and seasonal reversal of currents all may contribute to the maintenance of this reservoir of Zn 65 in the ocean off the Oregon coast.