The Radioecology of a Beach

The accumulation of fission products, especially the insoluble radionuclides Ru106, Cc144, Zr95, and Nb95, by the fauna and flora on Windscale Beach is affected by the following factors: 1) the particle size and chemical composition of the substratum; 2) wind action on contaminated silt lifting it from near low‐water mark and depositing it near high‐water mark; 3) the vertical position of organisms on the beach, and, therefore, their coverage time by contaminated seawater; 4) movement of organisms on the beach which alters their coverage time; and 5) freshwater seepage and rainfall, assuming that their radionuclide contents are less than that of the seawater, causing decontamination of the organisms by washing. The position of an organism in the food chain is not considered to be a primary factor determining the levels of radionuclides accumulated by it.