Ecological and Environmental Effects From Local Fallout From Schooner. 2. The Beta and Gamma Radiation Effects From Close-in Fallout.

Rhoads, W.A.; Kantz, A.D.; Ragsdale, Harvey L.

doi:10.2172/4687182

Cited by 3 publications

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“…Photo Credit: United States Department of Defense, 1946. induce higher mortality rates (Brooks et al 1952;Baxter et al 1953;Alpen and Sheline 1954;Valeriote and Baker 1964;Ledney et al 1992). In plants, acute radiation exposure results in tissue degradation and death under sufficiently high radioactivity levels (Sparrow and Woodwell 1962;Shields et al 1963;Rhoads and Platt 1971;Rhoads et al 1972). However, the extent of tissue damage in plants varies with development state (Sparrow and Woodwell 1962;Shields et al 1963;Rhoads and Platt 1971;Rhoads and Ragsdale 1971).…”

Section: Radiation Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

et al. 2015

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Abstract:War is an ever-present force that has the potential to alter the biosphere. Here we review the potential consequences of modern war and military activities on ecosystem structure and function. We focus on the effects of direct conflict, nuclear weapons, military training, and military produced contaminants. Overall, the aforementioned activities were found to have overwhelmingly negative effects on ecosystem structure and function. Dramatic habitat alteration, environmental pollution, and disturbance contributed to population declines and biodiversity losses arising from both acute and chronic effects in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. In some instances, even in the face of massive alterations to ecosystem structure, recovery was possible. Interestingly, military activity was beneficial under specific conditions, such as when an exclusion zone was generated that generally resulted in population increases and (or) population recovery; an observation noted in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Additionally, military technological advances (e.g., GPS technology, drone technology, biotelemetry) have provided conservation scientists with novel tools for research. Because of the challenges associated with conducting research in areas with military activities (e.g., restricted access, hazardous conditions), information pertaining to military impacts on the environment are relatively scarce and are often studied years after military activities have ceased and with no knowledge of baseline conditions. Additional research would help to elucidate the environmental consequences (positive and negative) and thus reveal opportunities for mitigating negative effects while informing the development of optimal strategies for rehabilitation and recovery.Key words: war, biodiversity, ecosystem structure, conflict, military activities, environment, conservation biology.Résumé : La guerre est une force omniprésente ayant le potentiel d'altérer l'atmosphère. Les auteurs passent en revue les conséquences potentielles des activités guerrières et militaires modernes sur la structure et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. On met l'accent sur les effets directs et indirects des conflits, des armes nucléaires, des entrainements militaires et des contaminants des produits militaires. Dans l'ensemble, on constate que les activités préalablement mentionnées ont des effets négatifs écrasants sur la structure et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes. Avec des altérations dramatiques des habitats, la pollution et les perturbations environnementales contribuent au déclin des populations et aux pertes de biodiversité provenant des effets aigus et chroniques sur les systèmes terrestres aussi bien qu'aquatiques. Tout de même dans certains cas, en présence d'altérations massives de la structure des écosystèmes, la récupération s'est avérée possible. Il est intéressant de noter qu'une activité militaire fut bénéfique sous des conditions spécifiques telles que la création d'une zone d'exclusion, en générant des augmentations générales des p...

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Section: Radiation Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

et al. 2015

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“…Nearby plants are exposed to extremely high levels of radiation (measured in rads) immediately after a released explosion in which radioactive gases and dust are released to the atmosphere, and continue to receive a high degree of radiation insult as long as radioactive fallout remains on their leaves. Rhoads and Platt (1971) and Rhoads, Kantz and Ragsdale (1972) have shown that plants covered with a plastic tent before a released explosion continued to survive, indicating that fallout at time zero gave far greater doses of beta radiation than gamma radiation to plants. Both plant mortality and the beta levels decrease rather rapidly in the first few months (see data given in description of Palanquin explosion), suggesting that beta radiation from ^Ca with a half-life of 165 days and ^2P with a half-life of 14.3 days are initially moe than that of ^Sr with a half-life of 28 years, as curies of Sr^O at the time of detonation are only 127th that of the combined curies from 45 Ca and 32 P. (See table 7.)…”

Section: Effects Of Nuclear Explosions On Native Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of investigators from UCLA (the University of California at Los Angeles), who studied the late effects of the Palanquin explosion, suspected that beta rays might be more important in killing vegetation than gamma rays (Rhoads, Platt, Harvey, and Romney, 1968;Rhoads, Ragsdale, Platt, and Romney, 1970;Rhoads and Platt, 1971;Rhoads, Kantz, and Ragsdale, 1972). To test this theory, they covered certain plots with polethylene sheeting prior to the detonation of the Schooner explosion that was detonated in 1968.…”

Section: Plant Tolerance For Radioactive Soilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A counter held 0.9 m above the ground read 30 beta and 20 gamma. Rhoads, Kantz, and Ragsdale (1972) describe an experiment in which plastic was put over areas of shrubs near the Schooner explosion. The survival of shrubs under the plastic was ascribed to exclusion of beta radiation as shrubs under plastic received 15 percent less gamma and 60 percent less beta radiation.…”

Section: Illmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of nuclear and conventional chemical explosions on vegetation

Cannon¹,

Strobell²,

Bush³

et al. 1983

Open-File Report

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Four-year post-exposure assay of vegetation surrounding project pinstripe: Demonstration of the utility of delayed damage appraisals

Ragsdale

Rhoads²

1974

Radiation Botany

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Ecological and Environmental Effects From Local Fallout From Schooner. 2. The Beta and Gamma Radiation Effects From Close-in Fallout.

Abstract: Effects from Clare-in Fallaut itlllUWIER I DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government.

Cited by 3 publications

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The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the environment

Effects of nuclear and conventional chemical explosions on vegetation

Four-year post-exposure assay of vegetation surrounding project pinstripe: Demonstration of the utility of delayed damage appraisals

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