Radiation risk continues to exist for both marine life and tourists around the UK scoop site nuclear testthose off the coast of Western Australia. The Montebello Islands Marine Park consists of more than 250 low-lying islands and islets and covers some 60,000 acres of ocean. These waters are among the world’s most biodiverse marine environments and attract visitors in the form of fishermendivers and snorkelers.
The Montebello Islands played host to Britain’s first-ever nuclear test, codenamed “Operation Hurricane”, on the morning of October 3, 1952.
The experiment saw a 25 kiloton atomic bomb go off aboard the Royal Navy frigate HMS Plym, which was moored in Main Bay on Trimouille Island.
A ship was chosen as the detonation platform to simulate the effects of a nuclear weapon being smuggled into a British port on board a ship.
Under the auspices of “Operation Mosaic”, two more nuclear tests were conducted on the Montebello Islands – one on May 6 and the other on June 19, 1956.
The purpose of these trials was to experiment with increasing the yield of nuclear weapons through boosting with lithium-6 and deuterium, along with a natural uranium tamper.
The research is being conducted by radio ecologist Madison Hoffman of Edith Cowan University and her colleagues – and is expected to continue into 2024.
The team has already collected and analyzed more than 100 samples of marine sediment and life from the underwater ecosystems around the Montebello Islands.
Ms Hoffman said: “It’s really important that we try to understand exactly what type of radionuclides and what radiation levels are left in the marine ecosystems in the Montebello Islands.
“We are now focusing on mapping areas where higher levels of radionuclides are found in marine sediment around the Marine Park.
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Ms Hoffman continues: “The next step is to test the different organisms we have collected, from aquatic plants and sea cucumbers to coral trout.”
The Montebello Islands are home to more than 630 species of mollusks, 450 species of fish. 170 species of starfish and urchins and 150 different species of coral.
Ms Hoffman added: “We have detected levels of radionuclides from the nuclear tests that are higher than what would be considered a background reading, or levels you could get from the sand at your local beach.
“The final phase of the project will be to use these measurements and some advanced models to see if there is any impact on the marine animals that live, breathe and reproduce in the sediment.”
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Given concerns about personal health and safety, not to mention the remoteness of the islands, the Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service has re-emphasized the potential risk to visitors to the islands.
At present, the only way for tourists to access the Montebello Islands is by charter boat from Karratha and Onslow, on the Australian mainland.
Due to the elevated levels of radiation, visitors to the island are encouraged to limit their travel to no more than an hour a day.
Camping is permitted on Northwest Island from April to September, and year-round in restricted areas of Bluebell, Crocus, Hermite, Primrose, and Renewal Islands.