(7)Be, (210)Pb, and (210)Po in the surface air from the Arctic to Antarctica.

• Published in: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity
• Main Authors: Persson, Bertil R, Holm, Elis
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2014
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Arctic Ocean; Antarc*; Antarctica; Tundra; Siberia
• Online Access: https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4334683; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.01.008

In the present study we have investigated the activity concentrations of (210)Pb, (210)Po as well as (7)Be in surface air of the North and South Atlantic (1988-1989), the Arctic Ocean (1991), and along the coastline of Siberia (1994) during succeeding expeditions in the Swedish Polar Research program. During the cruises in the Arctic Ocean during 1991-07-28 to 1991-10-04 the average air concentrations of (7)Be was 0.6 ± 0.4 mBq/m(3), (210)Pb 40 ± 4 μBq/m(3) and (210)Po-38 ± 10 μBq/m(3). During the Swedish-Russian Tundra Ecology-94 expedition along the Siberian coastline the average air concentrations of (7)Be and (210)Pb measured during May-July were 11 ± 3, and 2.4 ± 0.4 mBq/m(3), and during July-September they were 7.2 ± 2 and 2.7 ± 1.1 mBq/m(3) respectively. The results from measurements of the activity concentration of (210)Pb in the air over the Arctic Ocean vary between 75 and 176 μBq/m(3). In the air close to land masses, however, the activity concentration of (210)Pb in the air increases to 269-2712 μBq/m(3). The activity concentration of (7)Be in the South Atlantic during the cruise down to Antarctica varied between 1.3 and 1.7 with an average of 1.5 ± 0.8 mBq/m(3). The activity concentration of (210)Pb in the South Atlantic down to Antarctica varied between 6 and 14 μBq/m(3). At the Equator the activity concentration recorded in November 1988 was 630 μBq/m(3) and in April 1989 it was 260 μBq/m(3). The average activity concentration of (210)Pb during the route Gothenburg-Montevideo in 1988 was 290 and on the return Montevideo-Gothenburg it was 230 μBq/m(3). The activity concentration of (210)Po in the South Atlantic down to Antarctica varied between 15 and 58 μBq/m(3). At the Equator the activity concentration in November 1988 was 170 and in April 1989 it was 70 μBq/m(3). The average activity concentration of (210)Po during the route Gothenburg-Montevideo in 1988 was 63 and on the return Montevideo-Gothenburg it was 60 μBq/m(3). The average of the activity concentrations in the Antarctic air of (210)Pb ...