In situ salinity, turbidity and temperature were measured at
discrete depths and water samples for radioanalysis were simultaneously
collected in the Columbia River Estuary using a specially designed
instrument package.
Particulate radioactivity was concentrated by filtration and the
dissolved radioactivity by evaporation or ferric oxide bulk precipitation.
Radioanalysis was by gamma-ray spectrometry and data
reduction by computer. Chromium-51 was mostly dissolved and
conservative in brackish water, while zinc-65 was mostly particulate
and non-conservative. The intrusion of salt water into the estuary
was seen to greatly increase the concentrations of particulate
chromium-51, zinc-65 and scandium-46 near the bottom.
The fall and rise in estuarine radioactivity levels were followed
during an infrequent pause in Hanford reactor operations.
Changes in radioactivity levels of up to three orders of magnitude
were recorded at Astoria, Oregon, some 380 miles from the reactors.
The pause in reactor operations enabled the determination of
river flow times from the reactors to Astoria. Flow times of 12
and 19 days were measured for average river discharges of 290,000
and 130,000 c.f.s., respectively. / Graduation date: 1967
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/28387 |
| Date | 11 May 1967 |
| Creators | Hanson, Peter James |
| Contributors | Osterberg, Charles L., Forster, William O. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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