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Redistribution of fallout radionuclides in Enewetak Atoll lagoon sediments by callianassid bioturbation

Nature volume 313, pages 674–677 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

The lagoon sediments of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands contain a large selection of fallout radionuclides as a result of 43 nuclear weapon tests conducted there between 1948 and 1958 (refs 1, 2). Studies of the burial of fallout radionuclides have been conducted on the islands3,4 and in several of the large craters1,5, but studies of their vertical distribution have been limited to about the upper 20 cm of the lagoon sediments. We have found elevated fallout radionuclide concentrations buried more deeply in the lagoon sediments and evidence of burrowing into the sediment by several species of callianassid ghost shrimp (Crustacea: Thalassinidea) which has displaced highly radioactive sediment. The burrowing activities of callianassids, which are ubiquitous on the lagoon floor, facilitate radionuclide redistribution and complicate the fallout radionuclide inventory of the lagoon.

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Author notes

  1. Patrick L. Colin

    Present address: Motupore Island Research Department, University of Papua New Guinea, University, Box 320, Papua New Guinea

  2. Thomas H. Suchanek

    Present address: Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96822, USA

    Gary M. McMurtry & Randi C. Schneider

  2. Mid-Pacific Research Laboratory, Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, c/o Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, Kaneohe, Hawaii, 96744, USA

    Patrick L. Colin

  3. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California, 94550, USA

    Robert W. Buddemeier

  4. West Indies Laboratory, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Tague Bay, Christiansted, St Croix, US Virgin Islands, 00820, USA

    Thomas H. Suchanek

Authors
  1. Gary M. McMurtry
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  4. Robert W. Buddemeier
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  5. Thomas H. Suchanek
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McMurtry, G., Schneider, R., Colin, P. et al. Redistribution of fallout radionuclides in Enewetak Atoll lagoon sediments by callianassid bioturbation. Nature 313, 674–677 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/313674a0

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