Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem-Solving Concepts and Case Studies (1986) / Chapter Skim
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22. Ecological Effects of Nuclear Radiation
22. Ecological Effects of Nuclear Radiation
Pages 331-344
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From page 331... ...
Atomic Energy Commission to determine the effects of radiation on living organisms and how radionuclides move through natural environments have been the most extensive attempts to use a generic approach to obtain information required for making major policy decisions. This case study summarizes and analyzes these studies and their contributions both to the solution of problems at which they were directed and to ecological theory generally.
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From page 332... ...
A series of symposia sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency dealt with the uses of radionuclides in various disciplines, such as hydrology and plant nutrition, as well as with environmental contamination by radioactive materials. The series of studies sponsored by the Environmental Sciences Branch of the Division of Biology and Medicine of AEC (later the Energy Research and Development Administration and now the Department of Energy)
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From page 333... ...
Others concerned the magnitude and duration of radioactivity at weapon test sites (Hines, 1962; Koranda, 1965, 1969; Larson, 19631. Studies at nuclear test sites were important, not only because of the environmental dangers at the sites themselves, but also because results could be used to predict conditions at sites affected by nuclear war.
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From page 334... ...
One of the first was designed to predict the environmental impact of the use of nuclear explosives to excavate a harbor in the Cape Thompson region of Alaska (Wolfe, 19661. Another focused on the feasibility of using thermonuclear devices to create a new transisthmian canal in Panama (Atlantic-Pacific Interoceanic Canal Study Commission, 1970; Martin, 19691.
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^ ~7~O TV 1111 11-() m - r ~-~ ~ 1~ wilill~ll ta Perhaps the most important idea used in the efforts to understand radionuclide movement in food chains was the specific-activity concept discussed by Kaye and Nelson (19681.
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From page 336... ...
Once all important ecosystem turnovers and transfers were formulated, equations were solved simultaneously to predict radionuclide dynamics through an entire ecosystem. One of the efforts to predict radionuclide movement in an ecosystem was an analysis of the fate of radioactivity, if thermonuclear devices were used to excavate a new canal across Central America (Kaye and Ball, 19691.
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From page 337... ...
Radiation Effects In addition to predicting the rate of nuclide movement through food chains and the amounts of radioactivity reaching valued species, it was necessary to know what effect a given amount of radioactivity would have on the valued species. The behavior of individuals of a species is obviously important in the effect of radiation release.
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From page 338... ...
Results showed that radiation sensitivity of plants was correlated to some extent with interphase chromosomal volume, but there were frequent exceptions (Koo and deIrizarry, 1970; Woodwell and Whittaker, 19681. A much more useful generalization from the radiation studies is that sensitivity of plants depends on the ratio of photosynthetic tissue to total tissue (Woodwell, 1967, 1970~.
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From page 339... ...
In evaluating the effect of a particular radionuclide in ~ particular environment, both the food-chain accumulation factors and the sensitivity of the organisms in the food chain to the predicted dose must be known. These factors are now known for some organisms in many types of ecosystem, but must be evaluated in light of the specific conditions at particular sites.
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1973. A simple model of strontium and manganese dynamics in a tropical rain forest.
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Radioecological Concentration Processes. Proceedings of an International Symposium.
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From page 342... ...
Radioecological Concentration Processes. Proceedings of an International Symposium.
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From page 343... ...
Committee Comment Environmental problem-solving is hindered by differences in insight derived from general and specific approaches. General ecological theory usually makes only crude predictions about specific conditions or impacts at a specific site.
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From page 344... ...
This examination of the history of AEC-sponsored environmental radiation studies suggests that their contribution to ecological knowledge has been as important as, or perhaps even more important than, the contr~bution of ecological knowledge to the design and interpretation of the AEC studies. During the four decades of radioecological studies, the constant interplay between experimental results and general theory has proved fruitful to the basic science of ecology and the applied field of radioecology.
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