A continental radon flux map for Australia
Abstract
The inert radioactive gases radon-222 and radon-220 are useful natural tracers for atmospheric mixing and transport studies. With a half-life of 3.8 days, the former has been widely used to verify the treatment of mixing in atmospheric models, commonly with the assumption of a uniform flux of 1atomcm-2 s-1 from ice-free land. We present an improved representation of the surface flux of both radon-222 and radon-220, based on an observed empirical relationship between radon flux-chamber measurements and airborne gamma ray measurements, which have recently been produced on a calibrated Australia-wide grid. With the incorporation of additional environmental parameters, it is possible to produce a map of the spatial variability of surface radon flux at a continental scale.
- Publication:
-
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009EGUGA..11.3886G