The Distribution and Deposition of Radionuclides over Antarctica

• Main Author: Lowther, Nicholas
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury 2014
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/13849

The production of artificial radionuclides from the atmospheric thermonuclear testing of the 1950s onwards has been detected in Antarctica. The presence of these pollutants has been utilised by science to produce meteorological information about the Antarctic continent. Accurate analysis of radionuclide stratospheric residence times, air to ice radionuclide concentration ratios, fallout characteristics of radionuclides and snow accumulation rates are made possible by their presence in Antarctica. The artificial radionuclides of 137Cs and 90Sr and natural radionuclide 210Pb have ideal decay properties for analysing the meteorological applications. By understanding the processes that current pollutants follow in Antarctica we can plan effectively for new and emerging pollutants that threaten the continent.