Bioaccumlation in tuna Bluefin tuna are among the fishes that were exposed to radioactive material released into the sea by the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant (Section 47.1). These tuna breed in the western Pacific, and some migrate to the Eastern Pacific when they are 1 to 2 years old. Daniel Madigan suspected that migrating tuna would transport radioactive material to the waters off the coast of California. To test this hypothesis, he and his collaborators analyzed the concentration of cesium radioisotopes (137Cs and 134Cs) in bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna caught near San Diego in August 2011. Yellowfin tuna do not cross the Pacific; they spend their lives in California's coastal waters. The scientists compared these data with the radioisotope content of bluefin tuna that had been caught near San Diego in 2008. FIGURE 48.9 shows their results.
FIGURE 48.9 Radioactive cesium (Cs) concentration in two species of tuna caught along the coast of California.
137Cs has a half-life of 30 years and some persists in the Pacific from weapons testing. 134Cs has a half-life of 2 years and was undetectable in the Pacific prior to the accident at Fukushima. Becquerels (Bq) is a measure of radioactivity.
Does the data support the hypothesis that bluefin tuna transported radioisotopes from Fukushima in their body?
Biology (MindTap Course List)
Understanding Nutrition (MindTap Course List)
Inquiry into Physics
General Chemistry - Standalone book (MindTap Course List)
Chemistry: An Atoms First Approach
Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies - Standalone book (MindTap Course List)
Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation
Fundamentals of Physical Geography
College Physics
Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity
An Introduction to Physical Science
Chemistry In Focus
Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)
Human Biology (MindTap Course List)
Biology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List)
BIOLOGY:CONCEPTS+APPL.(LOOSELEAF)
Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology
Nutrition Through The Life Cycle
Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry
Chemistry for Engineering Students
Horizons: Exploring the Universe (MindTap Course List)
Chemistry for Engineering Students
Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry
Chemistry: Principles and Reactions
Chemistry In Focus
Physical Chemistry
General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry
Environmental Science (MindTap Course List)
Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (MindTap Course List)
Environmental Science (MindTap Course List)
Organic Chemistry
College Physics
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Technology Update (No access codes included)
Organic And Biological Chemistry
Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics
Oceanography: An Invitation To Marine Science, Loose-leaf Versin
Chemistry & Chemical Reactivity
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations and Connections
Organic Chemistry
Introductory Chemistry: An Active Learning Approach
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)