Effect
of trophic level on the radiocesium frequency distribution in aquatic
and terrestrial ecosystems at Chornobyl and nuclear sites in the United
States
Michael H. Smith1,Taras
K. Oleksy2, and Olga Tsyusko-Omeltchenko1
1Savannah
River Ecology Laboratory, P. O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29803, USA and Institute
of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30601, USA
2National Cancer Institute, National institutes of Health,
Frederick MD 21702, USA
Abstract
There are
significant linear relationships between the standard deviation and the
mean Qf radiocesium concentration for samples of soils, sediments, plants,
and animals from Chornobyl and nuclear site in the United States. The
universal occurrence of this relationship in all types of samples suggests
that a non-normal frequency distribution should be expected. The slopes
of these relationships are similar for fish and mammals from the two regions
of the world but those for plants are not. The slopes for plants are similar
for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems within each region. We hypothesize
that there are relationships between the four moments of the frequency
distribution of radiocesium (mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis),
and that these relationships are caused by the functional properties of
the organisms and other characteristics of the ecosystem. The way in which
radiocesium was distributed across the landscape does not seem to be a
factor in determining the form of the frequency distribution.
,
KEYWORDS: Cs-137, FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION
SREL Reprint #2708
Smith, M. H., T. K. Oleksyk and O. Tsyusko-Omeltchenko. 2003. Effect of trophic level on the radiocesium frequency distribution in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at Chornobyl and nuclear sites in the United States. p. 37-48. In Proceeding of the International Symposium: Transfer of radionuclides in biosphere - Prediction and Assessment, edited by H. Amano and S. Uchida, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute Conference 2003-010.
