Title: Measurement of atmospheric fluxes of radionuclides at a UK site using both direct (rain) and indirect (soils) methods

Authors: Daniel B. Short, Peter G. Appleby, John Hilton

Addresses: Robert Morris University, School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, Moon Township, PA 15108, USA. ' University of Liverpool, Environmental Radioactivity Research Centre, P.O. Box 147, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK. ' Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Winfrith, Dorset, UK

Abstract: Direct measurements of radionuclide tracers are useful tools for correcting proxy fluxes that are subject to post depositional changes. An analytical methodology was designed for the measurement of 210Pb and 7Be in rainwater. Atmospheric inputs of the radionuclides to Cumbria (UK) were recorded. Rainwater fluxes were then compared with measurements from soil cores. The annual deposition from April 1997 to March 1998 of 210Pb and 7Be was 165 ± 8 Bq m-2 and 3912 ± 120 Bq m-2, respectively, compared to an indirect 210Pb flux of 148 ± 7 Bq m-2 yr-1 calculated from soil core records.

Keywords: sediments; metals; lakes; radionuclides; deposition; history; modelling; atmospheric fluxes; UK; United Kingdom; rainwater fluxes; soil cores; measurement; radionuclide tracers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2007.014226

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2007 Vol.29 No.4, pp.392 - 404

Published online: 26 Jun 2007 *

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