Initial Study of Effects of Fallout Radiation on Simple Selected Ecosystems
Abstract
The ecological balance maintained in many of our agricultural communities may be seriously affected by the effect of ionizing radiation from nuclear fallout on insect populations. In this study, the San Joaquin Valley in Central California was selected as the region for specific investigation to determine the extent of possible insect-population imbalance and the effect such an imbalance might have upon its agricultural production. The report discusses topographical and climatological conditions and presents data on the insect pest population and the agricultural commodities of the region. The beta bath dose at .003 cm tissue depth at various gamma-exposure-rate contour levels were computed and are presented in this report. The extent of the critical areas in which insect population imbalance may occur was determined for 1-, 10-, and 100-MT weapon bursts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 15, 1987
- Accession Number
- AD0667593
Entities
People
- Paul W. Wong
Organizations
- Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory