COL UNRIA DEPARTMENT ofOCEANOGRAPHY NENALEN R. T/LLAMOOK BAY SCHOOL of SCIENCE OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY S!L ETZ R. YAOU/NA R. ALSEA PROGRESS REPORT Ecological Studies of Radioactivity in the Columbia River Estuary and Adjacent Pacific Ocean OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY William O. Forster, Principal Investigator Compiled and Edited by James E. McCauley Atomic Energy Commission MarinePollution Contract AT(45-1)1750 Ecology RLO 1750-54 QSU OCEANOGRAPHY Reference 69-9 1 July 1968 through 30 June 1969 Gc Q 7 3 ECOLOGICAL STUDIES OF RADIOACTIVITY IN THE COLUMBIA Sc.C RIVER ESTUARY AND ADJACENT PACIFIC OCEAN Compiled and Edited by James E. McCauley Principal Investigator:William O. Forster Co-investigators: Andrew G. Carey, Jr, James E. McCauley William G. Pearcy William C. Renfro Department of Oceanography Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon 97331 PROGRESS REPORT 1 July 1968 through 30 June 1969 Submitted to U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Contract AT(45-1)1750 Reference 69-9 RLO 1750-54 July 19 69 Marine PollutionEcology OSU OCEANOGRAPHY STAFF William O. Forster, Ph.D. Principal Investigator Assistant Professor of Oceanography Andrew G. Carey, Jr., Ph.D. Co-Investigator Assistant Professor of Oceanography Benthic Ecology James E. McCauley,Ph. D. Co-Investigator Associate Professor of Oceanography BenthicEcology William G. Pearcy,Ph. D. Co-Investigator Associate Professor of Oceanography Nekton Ecology William C. Renfro, Ph.D. Co-Investigator Assistant Professor of Oceanography Radioecology Frances Bruce, B. S. Benthic Ecology Rodney J. Eagle, B. S. Nekton Ecology John Ellison, B. S. Radiochemistry Norman Farrow Instrument Technician Peter Kalk, B. S. Nekton Ecology Michael Kyte, B. S. Benthic Ecology I.Lauren Larsen, B. S. Gamma Ray Spectrometry Harriet A. Lorz, M.S. Nekton Ecology Roger R. Paul, B. S. Benthic Ecology Roger Phelps, B. S. Radiochemistry William Phoenix Gamma Ray Spectrometry David Stein, B. S. Nekton Ecology James Steinfeld, B. S. Radiochemistry William R. Vermeer, B. S. Gamma Ray Spectrometry Gerald Wagner, B. S. Atomic Absocpt.ion ,` }c ct ronE try Show Wu, B.S. Radiochemistry A CKNOWLEDGMENTS A major expense in oceanographic research is "time at sea". Operations on the R/V YAQUINA, R/V CAYUSE, R/V PAIUTE, and R/V SHOSHONE were funded by several agencies, with the bulk coming from the National Science Foundation and Office of Naval Research. Certain special cruises of radiochemical or radioecological import were funded by the Atomic Energy Commission, as was much of the equip- ment for radioanalysis and stable element analysis.Most of the support for student research, plus some of the gamma ray spectrometry facilities, were provided by the U. S. Public Health Service.We gratefully acknowl- edge the role of these agencies in support of the research reported in the following pages. We also wish to express our thanks to the numerous students and staff who have contributed to the preparation of this progress report, especially to Mrs. Virginia Smith who typed the entire report. ECOLOGICAL STUDIES OF RADIOACTIVITY IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER ESTUARY AND ADJACENT PACIFIC OCEAN TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION. Radioanalysis Procedures- Larsen 5 Stable Element Analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry- Wagner, Larsen, Forster. 7 II. RESEARCH IN PROGRESS A. Introduction to Abiotic Research-Forster . 9 In Situ Probe Measurement of 51 Cr- Forster, Larsen, Wagner . 10 Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Analysis of Various Oxidation States of Chromium- Stanford Forster . 12 Large Volume Precipitation- Forster, Larsen . 13 Sorption Techniques to Characterize the Form and Depth of Columbia River Plume Water - Forster, Larsen, Wagner, Perkins . 16 APDC Extraction Efficiency for Various Trace Radionuclides- Forster, Wagner . 19 Detection and Analysis of Airborne Gamma Emitting Radionuclides - Gilson, Forster . 20 Trace Elements in Snow From the Pacific Northwest - Forster, Wagner, Curl, Becker . 25 In Situ Bottom Sediment Collectors- Carey, Mesecar,Groelle . 28 Columbia River Flow Times During the 1966 Hanford Reactor Shutdown- Forster, Hanson . 30 Chemical Watermass Tracer - Hanson, Forster. 33 The Changing Form of the Radionuclides 65Zn and 51Cr Downriver from The Dalles to Astoria, Oregon, in December, 1966 - Forster, Osterberg, Hanson. 37 Antimony-124 in the Lower Columbia River - Pope, Renfro, Forster . 43 Effects of Paper Mill Wastes on Particulate Activity of 65Zn - Pope, Forster, Renfro. 45 The Effects of Kraft Mill Wastes and Domestic Pollutants on Dissolved Metallic Elements in Aquatic Environments - Hennebry, Forster . 47 Chrome-51/Zinc-65 Ratios in Columbia River Estuarine Water During Tidal Changes - Forster, Hanson. 51 Particulate 65Zn and51Crin Columbia River Estuary - Forster, Hanson . 55 Yearly Variation of Specific Activities of 65Zn in the Columbia River Estuary - Forster, Wagner. 58 Monthly South-Channel Columbia River Estuary Chemical Data - Forster, Park, Renfro . 61 The Variability of Six Radionuclides with Depth at Two Stations off the Oregon Coast in 1968 Forster, Robertson . 67 Percentage of Six Radionuclides Associated with Particles from Surface to 1. 6 km in the Northeast Pacific Ocean WaterForster, Robertson. 71 Changing Form and Levels of Activity of Several Columbia River Radionuclides as They Mix with Northeast Pacific Ocean Water - Forster, Larsen Wagner. 75 Depth Distribution of Several Trace Elements in Non-Plume Waters Outside of the Columbia River Plume 1967 - Robertson, Forster . 78 The Conservative Nature of 51 Cr in Sea Water- Forster . 80 Vanadium Distribution in the Water, Sediments, and Biota of Columbia River Estuary and Plume Waters - Dyer, Forster, Renfro . 82 Stable Zinc Concentrations in Northeast Pacific Waters - Forster . .. 85 Trace Elements in Bottom Sediments off Southern Oregon Coast - Forster, Naidu, Wagner.88 Distribution of 65Zn and 60Co in Fractionated Sediments of the Columbia River Estuary - Delaplane, Forster, Renfro . 92 B. Introduction to Biological Aspects of Radioecology - M c Cauley . 97 Investigations on the Benthic Shelled Gastropods off Oregon-Bertrand. 99 Polychaetous Annelids- Hancock, Carey . 100 Depth Distribution of Scaphopods off Oregon- Bruce, Carey . 102 The OceanicShrimp Sergestes similisoff the Oregon Coast - Pearcy, Forss . 104 Ophiuroid Echinoderms Collected off Oregon- Kyte . 105 Several New Species of Urosporidae (Sporozoa: Gregarinida) From the Heart-Urchin Brisaster latifrons - Brownell, McCauley . 109 Geographic Distribution and Relative Abundance of the Salpidae off the Oregon Coast-Hubbard, Pearcy . 111 Parabassogigas grandis (GUnther), a Deep-Sea Ophidioid Fish From the Northeastern Pacific Ocean - Eagle . 112 Variability in the Heart-Urchin Brisaster latifrons - Brownell, M c Cauley . 113 Size Structureand GrowthRate ofEuphausiapacifica off the Oregon Coast - Smiles, Pearcy . 117 Diversity and Similarity of Benthic Populations off the Coast of Oregon - Stander, Carey . 118 Growth and Reproduction of a Lanternfish - Smoker. 122 Sound Scattering by Marine Organisms in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean - Donaldson, Pearcy. 123 Vertical Migration of Pandalus job rdani: a Feeding and Dispersing Mechanism- Pearcy . 124 The Feeding Habits of Three Species of Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) off Central Oregon} - Tyler . 125 Feeding Habits of Benthic Fishes - Stein . 126 Sebastodes flavidus, a Shelf Rockfish Feeding on Mesopelagic Fauna, with Consideration of the Ecological Implication - Pereyra, Pearcy, Ca rvey . 127 Plankton and Nutrient Ecology of the Columbia River Estuary - Haertel . 128 Ecology and Radioecology of Benthic Animals- Carey. 130 Radioecology of Benthic Fishes - Vanderploeg . 133 Trace Element Characterization of Phytoplankton - Stanford, Pequegnat, Forster, Small . 141 Trace Element Composition of Northeastern Pacific Foraminifera - Forster, Fowler . 142 Relation of the Calcitic Ca: Mg Ratio to Environ- mental Parameters of Allocentrotus fragilis - Sumich, McCauley. 145 Phosphorus Turnover in the Starry Flounder (Platichtys stellatus) - Romberg, Renfro, Forster.148 Seasonal Uptake, Retention and Concentration of Phosphorus-32 in Juvenile Starry Flounder - Bolen, Forster, Renfro. 149 Uptake of32Pand 65Zn by Young Chinook Salmon in the Columbia River - Romberg, Renfro. 150 Determination of SpecificActivityof 65Zn in Tissues of Mytilus californianus-Larsen. 154 Zinc-65 as a Tool to Identify Stocks of Coho in the Ocean - Forster, Loeffel . 158 Zinc-65 Distribution in Tissues of the Pacific Hake - Naidu, Forster, Pearcy . .163 Specific Activities of 65Zn in Staghorn Sculpins and Sand Shrimp in the Columbia River Estuary - Steinfeld, Renfro. 166 Laboratory Analysis of Rates of Uptake and Loss of Zinc-65 by a Marine, Unicellular Alga- Tomlinson, Renfro, Forster . 169 Seasonal Variation and Distribution of 65Zn, 54Mn, and 51Cr in Tissues of the Crab, Cancer mag.ister Dana - Tennant, Forster . 172 65ZnSpecific Activities of Starry Flounder Organs - Renfro, Forster. 173 Transfer of Radionuclides through a Marine Food Web - Renfro . 177 Estuary-Ocean Boundary Studies-King, McCauley 186 III. STUDENT PARTICIPATION . 187 THESES (Abstracts) . 193 Lead-210 in Selected Marine Organisms - Beasley 193 Bathyal and Abyssal Polychaetes (Annelids) from the Central Coast of Oregon - Hancock . 194 Size Structureand GrowthRate of Euphausia pacifica off the Oregon Coast - Smiles . 195 IV. PAPERS PRESENTED AND MEETINGS ATTENDED . 197 V. REPRINTS. 201 Zinc-65 in Echinoderms and Sediments in the Marine Environment off Oregon- Carey . 201 The Effect of Temperature, Sediment,