UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

San Diego

The Distribution of Cesium, Rubidium, and Potassium

in the Quasi-marine Ecosystem of the Salton Sea

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the

requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy

in Oceanography

by

David Ross Young

Committee in charge :

Professor John D . Isaacs, Co-Chairman

Dr . Theodore R . Folsom, Co-Chairman

Professor Emanuel Epstein

Professor Edward W . Fager

Professor Gordon G . Goles

Professor John A . McGowan

Professor Richard H . Rosenblatt

197d

California,

'ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

The Distribution of Cesium, Rubidium, and PotassiumI

in the Quasi-marine Ecosystem of the Salton SeaI

by

David Ross Young

Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography

University of California, San Diego, 1970

Professor John D . Isaacs, Co-Chairman

Dr . Theodore R . Folsom, Co-Chairman

During 1967 a yearlong study was conducted on the distributions

of the trace alkali metals cesium and rubidium, and of potassium, in

the ecosystem of the Salton Sea .

This quasi-marine environment

provided the opportunity to study the behavior of these intracellular

alkalies in a much simpler system than generally is found in the ocean .

The dense phytoplankton populations growing in this agricultural sink,

in conjunction with the zooplankton composed of only a few major

species, produced a rich benthic organic mat . This mat provided food

for both the detrital-feeding mullet that had migrated from the Gulf of

and for the abundant p

xix

ile worm . The threadfin shad, a

migrant from the Colorado River system, fed principally on zooplankton .

The pile worm was the principal food item of the two marine teleosts,

the sargo and the Culf croaker . The orangemouth corvina fed princi-

pally on the croaker .

(These three transplanted marine fishes had

reproducing populations in the Salton Sea .)

Thus, the mullet and shad

fed near the second and third trophic levels respectively, the sargo

and croaker fed between the third and fourth trophic levels, and the

corvina fed between the fourth and fifth trophic levels . The water of

the Salton Sea was similar in salinity to ocean water, but contained

somewhat less than half as much potassium . This allowed a study of

the relationship between the biological concentration factors for the

essential element potassium and for the trace alkalies . Also, a

200 C annual range of mean water temperature permitted study of the

importance of : this variation on the biological concentrations of the

three elements .

Two independent determinations of the concentration factors for

cesium and potassium in muscle tissue of the Salton Sea teleosts were

employed . These techniques were gamma-ray spectrometry for fallout

Cs137 and natural K40 , and flame photometry for stable cesium and

potassium, and for rubidium . The two methods yielded' equilibrium

concentration factors for cesium and potassium that agreed, on the

average, within 7% and 1%respectively„

A deionized water leaching

technique was developed to determi

xx

ne approximate concentrations of

cesium and potassium (independent of the sediment fractions) in the

principal food items of the teleosts . Also, elemental measurements of

the three cations were made in specimens of the four marine teleosts

the validity of yearlong averaging

temperature changes . However, a

and water from the Gulf of Califor ia, and in shad from Lake Mead .

The results of these analy,.es indicated that there were no

.jgnificant spatial or temporal changes in any of the water or

biological concentrations measured in the Salton Sea that precluded

There were no correlations with

omparison of the concentration

factors in teleost specimens from ',the Salton Sea and the Gulf of

California did imply that the pot ~ssium content of the water, rather

than the cesium content, affected the concentration of cesium in the

biota . Also, a striking correlation of cesium concentration in

muscle tissue of the five Salton Sea teleosts with the estimated

trophic level occupied was demonstrated . Average concentration

factors (over water values) for c sium in mullet, shad, sargo and

croaker, and corvina were a ouc ~O, oV, iJV, anu .3UV reSpeLc1VC1y,

The factors for rubidium and potassium averaged about 20 . The

increase of teleost muscle cesium

(fish/food) for cesium and cesium4potassium

cesium concentrations in ocean fisihes may represent

investigating feeding relationship

xxi

with trophic level (an approximate

doubling per step) was consistent with observed "increase ratios"

values,

S in marine food webs .

and suggests that

a useful tool in

1 .

2

3 .

LIST OF TABLES

Table

Page

Concentrations (mg/L) of maijor cations and anions

in Salton Sea water collected off Salton Sea

beach

during

1967 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Concentrations (mg/1) of major cations and anions

in Salton Sea water collected at five near-shore

stations

on January

18,

1967

Concentrations (mg/1) of major cations and anions

in composites of Salton Sea water collected at

five near-shore stations during 1967

4 . Average concentrations (mg/L) of major cations

and anions in Salton Sea water collected in

1967, compared to earlier measurements27

5 . Concentrations (mg/L) of major cations and

anions in the Alamo River and New River flowing

into the Salton Sea during 1968

28

6 . Total dissolved solids (mg/L) in Salton Sea

water collected

during

1967 30

7 . CS137

concentrations (pCi/t) in unfiltered and

filtered Salton Sea water (1967) 47

8 . Study of recovery of Cs 137 from Salton Sea water

ix

24

25

in

ferrocyanide

columns 48

Table Page

9 . CS137 concentrations (pCi/i ± s) in Salton Sea

water in 1967 50

10 . CS137 concentrations (pCi / L + s) in water from

five Salton Sea stations in 1967 51

11 . CS 137 (pCi) and potassium (g) concentrations in

Salton Sea invertebrate samples and in their

estimated

sediment

fractions 56

12 . Cs 137 (pCi) and potassium (g) concentrations in

"submerged" and "control" Salton Sea sargo :

59Desert Shores, March 28,

1967

13 .137

Cs (WePqlg) and potassium ( Wej ) in muscle

tissue of Salton Sea mullet during 1967 61

14 . 37 .kg't ;sI

and potassium kwethkg) in musclet we .

tissue of Salton Sea sargo during 1967 64

15 . ~kg) in muscleCs137 (wet' ) and potassium ( wet

tissue of Salton Sea croaker during 1967 68

16 .137

CS (wePCkg) and potassium ( Weg ) in muscle

tissue of Salton Sea co'vina during 1967 . . . . . 71

17 . 137Cs WetPkg) and potassium ( Weg) in muscle

tissue,of small Salton Sea corvina in 1967 . . . . 84

18 .137

CS(WetpCkg) and potassium ( Weg ) in muscle

tissue of large Salton Sea corvina in 1967 . . . . 85

19 .137

CS(WePCkg) and potassium (We kg) in

composites of whole croaker collected from the

Salton Sea during 1967 87

Table

20

Cs137( wePC1 ) and potassium (wetgkg) in muscle

tissue of orangemouth corvina collected in spring,

xi

Page

1968 in the Gulf of California . . .

88

21 . Concentrations of stable cesium, rubidium, and

potassium in surface water from the Salton Sea,

the Gulf of California, and Lake Mead

89

22 . Concentrations of stable cesium, rubidium, and

potassium in water from five Salton Sea stations

i n 1 9 6 7 91

23 . Stable cesium (µg + s) in "invertebrate" samples

from

the

Salton

Sea

96

24 . Stable potassium in "invertebrate" samples98

25 . Stable cesium and notassitim washed from Salton Sea

fish muscle samples relative to original

concentrations

101

26 . Dry weight (g), ash weight (g), and ash-free dry

weight (g) corresponding to 100 g wet weight of --

Salton Sea samples

104

27 . Percent recoveries of stable cesium and rubidium

from

fish

muscle

.

107

28 . Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle

tissue of

Salton

Sea

mullet 110

29 . Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle

tissue of

Salton

Sea

shad 1 1 1

Table

Page

30 .

Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle

tissue

of

Salton

Sea

Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle

tissue of Salton Sea croaker113

32 .

Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle

tissue of Salton Sea corvina• . . . :

114

33 . Average 1967 concentrations of stable cesium,

rubidium, and potassium in Salton Sea fishes . . .

115

31 .

34 . Stable cesium, rubidium, and potassium in

muscle tissue of fishes from other environments

35 . A . Average concentrations (± s-) of stable

cesium and potassium in the Salton Sea biota,

hAcPA nn n -cl -free dr,' ~.7e!g to

B . Ratios of average values (+ sX) of cesium,

potassium, and cesium/potassium in fish muscle

to those values observed in the primary foods . .

120

36 . A .

1967 concentration factors (+ s-) for'

-x

cesium, rubidium, and potassium in muscle tissue

of

Salton

Seafishes 123

B . Concentration factors (+ s-) for cesium,

rubidium, and potassium in muscle tissue of

fishes from the Gulf of California and from

Lake Mead

Xii

cargo• • . 112

116

119

123

Table

I-1 .

Concentrations (pCi/wet kg) of gamma-emitting

radionuclides in liver and muscle tissue of

marine organisms collected from the North Pacific

in

summer,

1964

151

II-l .

CS137 concentrations in organisms (pCi/wet kg ± s)

'and corresponding surface water samples154

V-l .

Dates and locations of collections during 1967

at

the

Salton

Sea

Page

175

VII-l . Comparison of concentration factors by radioactive

and elemental analysis for cesium and potassium in

wet muscle tissue of Salton Sea fishes . . .

201

x-r .

Chlorinated hydrocarbons in Salton Sea fishes

f

n .

" 01

.

&iv\wLiw-lu Llo&utri cilia

ui'z~i:eS" kunLlke)

.

APPENDIX X

Pesticides in the Salton Sea Biota

In light of the distinct differences in concentration of . cesium

in different levels of the Salton Sea ecosystem and because this

region is principally an agricultural sink for the Imperial Valley,

at the end of this study I submitted my excess samples for pesticide

analyses . Generally, the samples used for the invertebrate leaching

tests and the year-long composites of fish muscle for the wet-dry-

ash weight study also provided the material for these analyses .

However, instead of the algal mat sample, I used the small amount of

algae that I had collected from the rocks near Salton Bay jetty in the

spring of 1967 . This algal sample had much less sediment associated

with it than did the algal mat sample .

(All samples except the sediment

were frozen from the time of collection in 1967 until they were

analyzed in February, 1970 . The sediment had been stored unfrozen in

a cool basement .) I sent replicate samples of about 50 grams each to

GHT Laboratory of Brawley, California . This laboratory has had

considerable experience in analyzing the pesticides used in the

Imperial Valley .

(The procedures used were those recommended in

Pesticide Analytical Flanuals, Vols . 1 and 2, published by the U . S .

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Food and Drug

Administration ; revised January ;1968 and January, 1970 .) "Crude fat"

content, defined as the amount of material extracted from a dried

sample during sixteen hours of contact with ethyl ether, was also

measured .

Table X-1A lists the results of these analyses on a wet

208

weight basis, and in Table X-1B the values are normalized to fat

content,

Of the five pesticides analyzed in the Salton Sea samples, only

DDT+DDE was measurable throughout the food chain . The values listed

in Table X-1A indicate that, with the exception of the mullet, the

sample means on a wet basis were all on the same order of magnitude,

with an average of 0 .30 p .p .m . However, the means ranged from

0 .16 p .p .m . in the zooplankton (mostly copepods) to 0 .52 p .p .m . in the

corvina flesh, and the average for the undissected invertebrates

(algae, zooplankton, and worms) was 0 .19 p.p .m ., about half that of

the fish muscle tissues (sargo, croaker, and corvina) which average

0 .40 p .p .m. Further, the ratio for sargo-croaker/worms was 1 .7, and

for corvina/croaker was 1 .6, Thus, the DDT+DDE values in general

bet!med Ll) iLIdiuaL d LL:Cjphic ievei

Lec a vii . wei wei -6ili. vabi5 LUU. .6--

was somewhat smaller than but roughly parallel to that observed for

cesium .

However, the exceptionally high value for the mullet illus-

trates the limitations of a wet-weight normalization for organic

compounds such as the chlorinated hydrocarbons that are known to

concentrate mainly in lipid reservoirs . Although the DDT+DDE in the

mullet flesh was 5-6 times the average muscle concentration of the

other three fishes, the percentage crude fat was also correspondingly

higher . Table X-1B presents the pesticide concentrations normalized to

the crude fat content of the samples . The replication in the fish

muscle values is not as precise on this basis, but the concentrations

should be more meaningful, at least for the animal samples . A

209

Table X-1 . Chlorinated hydrocarbons in Salton Sea fishes (muscle tissue) and "invertebrates" (entire),

Sample 7. Fat DDT + DDE Heptachlor Dieldrin Endrine

Lindnne

X-1A: Parts-per-million wet tissue

Corvina .1 0 .066 0 .58 0 .22- 2 0 .143 0 .46 0 .14

Ave . + sX 0 .105 + 0 .039 0 .52 + 0 .06 < 0 .22 < 0 .14

Croaker -1 0 .290 0 .29 0 .19-2 0 .095 0 .34 Trace 0 .17

Ave . ± sX 0 .193 + 0 .098 0 .32 + 0.03 < 0 .19 < 0.17

Sargo -1 0 .606 0 .31 0 .10 0 .07 -2 0 .214 0 .43 0 .14 Trace 0 .07

Ave . + s-x 0 .410 + 0 .196- 0 .37 + 0 .06- 0 .12 + i) .02 < 0 .07 < 0 .07

Mullet -1 0 .837 '3 .17 0 .43 - 0 .24 0 .38-2 2 .513 1 .30 0 .38 - 0 .72 Trace

Ave . + sX 1 .675 + 0 .838 2 .24 + 0 .94 . 0 .40 ± ).03 0 .48 + 0 .24

< 0.38

Worms -l 1 .493 0 .15 Trace Trace --2 1 .302 0 .24 0 .15

Ave . + sx 1 .398 ± 0 .096 0 .20 ,± 0 .05 < 0 .15

.Zoopik . - 1 2 .170 0 .17 0 .10' 0 .29 0 .12- 2 2 .205 0 .14 Trace 0 .34 - Trace

Ave . + 2 .188 + 0 .018 0 .16 + •0.02 < 0 .10 0 .32 + 0 .02 < 0 .12

Table X-1A (continued) .

Sample

% Fat

DDT + DDE

Heptact .lor

Dieldrin

Endrine

Lindane

X-IA (continued)

Algae

-1

0.158

0.27

0.12

Trace-2

0.134

0.15

Trace

I

Ave . ± ax

0.146 + 0.012

0.21 ± 0.06

< 0.12

Sed .

-1

0.014

0.22

0.07

Trace-2

0.050

0.12

Trace

Trace

Ave . ± sX

0 .032 + 0.018

0.17 + 0 .05

< 0.07

X-1B : Parts-per-million crude fat

Corvina -t

0.066

880

334-2

0.143

322 98

Ave . + ax

0.105 + 0 .039

.601 + 279

< 334

< 98

Croaker -1

0.290

100

66

-

--2

0.095

358

-

-

- 179

Ave . + ax

0.193 + 0 .098

229 + 129

< 66

< 179

Sargo -1

0 .606

51

17

12-2

0.214

200

65

-

33

Ave. + s-

0.410 + 0 .196

126 + 75

41 + 24

< 12

< 33x

Mullet -1

0.837

379

51

-

29 45-2

2.513

52

15

-

29

Ave. ± ax

1 .675 + 0.838

216 + 164

33 + 18

29 + 0

< 45

Table X-IB (continued) .

Saarp1e % Fat DDT + DDE

Heptachlor

Dieldrin

Endrine

Lindane

X-1B (continued)

Worms -1 1 .493 10

-

-

--2 1 .302 - 18

12

-

-

-

Ave . + sX 1 .398 + 0 .096 14 + 4

< 12

Zooplk . -1 2 .170 8

5

13 6-2 2 .205 6

-

15

-

-

Ave . + sX 2 .188 + 0 .018 7 + 1

< 5

14 ± 1

-

< 6

Algae -1 0 .158 171

762 0 .134 112

-

Ave . + sX 0 .146 + 0 .012 141 ± 30

< 76

general trophic level increase in DDT+DDE is suggested, although the

low fat content of the algae produces anomalously high levels

relative to the zooplankton and worm values . The ratios of the

concentration in muscle tissue of the fish relative to that in their

principal food are listed below :

Although there is an order of magnitude range in these values, all

four "increase ratios" of DDT+DDE/Crude Fat exceed unity, and the

ratio average is 2-3 times that observed for Cs/K . Thus ; despite the

fact that these data are quite limited, it appears that the increase

ratios for DDF+DDE in the lipid reservoir are at least as large as,

and are probably greater than, those for cesium in the tissue-water

reservoir of the Salton Sea food chain .

213

Fish p .p .m. DDT+DDEFood wrt Cruc': Fat

Corvina 601 = 9 .0Croaker 229

Croaker 229 = 16 .3Pile Worm 14

Sargo 126Pile Worm 14 =• 9 .0

Mullet 216 _= 1 .5Algae 141

Average + sX _ -1 .4 + 3 .4