Radionuclides in the Coastal Zone 



Olsen, C.R. 



$45,000 



Oak Ridge National Laboratory 



Environmental Sciences Division 



C: 615-576-0505; F: 626-0505 * 



The project objective is to identify, trace, and quantify the environmental and biogeochemical processes that affect 

 the fate of particles, radionuclides, contaminants, and trace substances in aquatic systems, through measurements 

 of the distribution of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides. Our approach involves cooperative efforts with 

 other coastal zone scientists. The results enable predictions of the physical transport, chemical behavior, biological 

 availability, and potential effects on coastal ecosystems of radionuclides and (by analogy) other contaminants or 

 trace substances introduced into river-estuarine and coastal zones in association with energy development and 

 waste disposal. This research is necessary for eliminating uncertainty associated with extrapolating numerical 

 simulations and laboratory data to natural environments. 



Production and Turnover of Suspended Organic Detritus in the Coastal 

 Water of the Southeastern Continental Shelf 



Pomeroy, L.R. 



$89,000 



University of Georgia 



Institute of Ecology 



C: 404-542-3415 



This project concerns the production and turnover of suspended organic particulate matter in the coastal water of 

 the Southeastern Continental Shelf. Organic matter is associated with clays in large particles in which the organic 

 matter is the matrix. Organic matter is produced and removed by the combined activities of plankton, micro-or- 

 ganisms, and benthos. In collaboration with other scientists, key processes that contribute to the budget for the 

 production and removal of suspended organic detritus in the coastal water are examined. Turnover time of 

 suspended particles will be compared with rates of movement of water and suspended sediment load along and 

 across the continental shelf. 



* "C" indicates the commercial telephone number, while "P refers to the number for the Federal Telephone Sys- 

 tem (FTS). 



Coastal Ocean Margins Program A13 December 1988 



