Long-range transport of continental radon in subantarctic and antarctic areas
International audience Gaseous Rn-222, a daughter product of U-238, is injected into the atmosphere from the surface of continents. Its atmospheric cycle is particularly simple since it disappears only by radioactive decay (half-life 3.8 days). Radon measurements obtained over more than 15 years in...
Published in: | Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
HAL CCSD
1986
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03541045 https://hal.science/hal-03541045/document https://hal.science/hal-03541045/file/Long%20range%20transport%20of%20continental%20radon%20in%20subantarctic%20and%20antarctic%20areas.pdf https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v38i3-4.15126 |
Summary: | International audience Gaseous Rn-222, a daughter product of U-238, is injected into the atmosphere from the surface of continents. Its atmospheric cycle is particularly simple since it disappears only by radioactive decay (half-life 3.8 days). Radon measurements obtained over more than 15 years in remote stations in Antarctic and Subantarctic areas generally give concentrations as low as 0. I to 2 pCi.m-'. However, we have shown the existence of sharp increases of concentrations reaching 3 to 30 pCi'rn-' called "radonic storms". Owing to the negligible degassing of radon from the sea surface, such peaks are accounted for by long-range transport from remote continents (mainly South Africa) over Southern Indian and Antarctic oceans, with transit times ranging from 1.5 to 7 days and very low dilution factors of the order of 3 to 7. This airmass transport is related to warm sectors of cyclonic systems passing over South Africa and around the Antarctic continent. |
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