ORGANIZATIGNAL CHART 

 Bureau of Connnerclal Flsherlea - Region 2 

 RADIOBIOLOGICAL LABORATOl 

 Beaufort, N. C. 



Laboratory Director 



Health Phyalca 



AselscanC Laboratory Director 



Katntcnance 

 (Jointly with Biological Laboratory) 



Batuarlna Ecology 



Adolnlstraclon 

 (Jointly with Biological Laboratory) 



Pollution Studies 



tebrate Vertebrate 



Experlnental 

 Envlronnenta 



Radiation Effecca 



Figure 10. — Organizational chart. 



Organization 



The widespread use of isotopes produces a 

 host of related problems that can be solved 

 more easily by investigators in related fields 

 working in the same laboratory than can be 

 accomplished by individual investigators work- 

 ing at separate locations. A group of investi- 

 gators of varied background can offer (1) a 

 team approach in solving problems, (2) nnore 

 efficient use of costly equipment needed for 

 this work, (3) continuity to the research work, 



(4) convenience for sponsors of research, and 



(5) a much broader approach in the research 

 than is available to an individual investigator. 

 The staff of the Radiobiological Laboratory 

 has been organized with these points in mind. 



The research of the Radiobiological Labora- 

 tory is divided into the broad areas of estua- 

 rine ecology, biogeochemistry, pollution 

 studies, and radiation effects (fig. 10). These 

 four areas of research are called programs. 

 Within each program are a number of projects. 

 The considerable freedom given each project 

 leader in planning the details of his research 

 results in a wide variety of studies. For 

 example, there are projects concerned with 

 productivity of estuaries, trace elements in 

 sea water, and mathematical modeling. The 

 four program chiefs, along with the laboratory 

 director, consider the broader aspects of the 

 research program and decide when two or more 



programs should cooperate in solving problems 

 too general to be handled by a single program 

 project. 



RESEARCH ACTIVITIES 



The purpose of research at this laboratory 

 is twofold: (1) to determine the fate (cycling) 

 of radioactive elements that are released into 

 the estuarine environment and the effect of this 

 radioactivity on estuarine plants and animals; 

 and (2) to develop and apply radioisotopic 

 methods to studies of estuarine ecology. We 

 are investigating basic problems in ecology, 

 radiobiology, biochemistry, and geochemistry 

 to obtain a more comprehensive understanding 

 of the accumulation of radionuclides by fishery 

 organisms. Because ionizing radiations from 

 radionuclides interact with other environmen- 

 tal factors to affect the growth and survival 

 of fishery organisms, we determine the re- 

 sponses of the biota to radiation under various 

 environments. Also, radioisotopes are used to 

 trace the movement of elements in the estuarine 

 environment. This movement is a cyclic ex- 

 change between biotic and abiotic phases in the 

 environment. With radioisotopes we can deter- 

 mine the rates at which this exchange takes 

 place and also determine the amounts of ele- 

 ments concentrated by organisms as the ele- 

 ments are passed through the food web. 



10 



