Distribution of radionuclides among green alga, marine sediments and sea water.

Abstract

Distributions of radionuclides among green alga (Ulva pertusa), marine sediment and sea water were examined in laboratory experiments with radioisotope tracers to look into the behavior of the radionuclides released into the coastal sea. Marine sands from the five different seashores along the coast of Japan were used. Distributions of 60Co, 95Zr 95Nb and 106Ru- 106Rh in these sands were by far the highest of the three components (marine sand, sea water and marine alga). The distributions of the three radionuclides had not so large fluctuations among the five marine sands and were considered to be rather constant. The total amount found in marine sand and green alga was about 90% for the three radionuclides but about 20% for 137Cs on the average in two weeks after the start of the experiments. The activity ratio of marine sediment (radioactivity in 1 g of sediment/radioactivity in 1 ml of sea water) was 4000 for 60Co, 30 for 137Cs, 1800 for 95Zr- 95Nb and 900 for 106Ru- 106Rh.