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Traces of self-organisation and long-range memory in variations of environmental radon in soil: comparative results from monitoring in Lesvos Island and Ileia (Greece)

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Abstract

This paper addresses issues of self-affinity, long-memory and self-organisation in variations of radon in soil recorded in Lesvos Island, Greece. Several techniques were employed, namely (a) power-law wavelet spectral fractal analysis, (b) estimation of Hurst exponents through (b1) rescaled-range, (b2) roughness-length, (b3) variogram and (a), (c) detrended fluctuation analysis, (d) investigation of fractal dimensions and (e) analysis of five block entropies: (e1) Shannon entropy, (e2) Shannon entropy per letter, (e3) conditional entropy, (e4) Tsallis entropy, and (e5) normalised Tsallis entropy. Long-lasting antipersistency was identified during a period of anomalous radon variations following fractional Brownian modelling. Remaining variations did not exhibit analogous behaviour and followed fractional Gaussian modelling. Antipersistent power-law-beta-exponent-values between 1.5 and 2.0 were detected during anomalies. Persistent values were also found. Hurst exponents were mainly within 0 < H < 0.5. Some persistent exponents (0.5 < H < 1) were also observed. Fractal dimensions were within 1.5 < D < 2. Radon anomalies presented lower fractal dimensions. Shannon entropy ranged between 0.77 ≤ H(n) ≤ 2.38, Shannon entropy per letter, between 0.19 ≤ h (n) ≤ 0.59, conditional entropy, between 0.01 ≤ h (n) ≤ 0.58, Tsallis entropy, between 0.55 ≤ S q  ≤ 1.01 and normalised Tsallis entropy between, 0.98 ≤ \(\hat{S}\) ≤ 5.42 (block-size n = 4). Entropies were lower during anomalies, indicating strong self-organisation. Persistency–antipersistency switching was observed, consistent with long-memory dynamics. Potential geological sources were discussed. The asperity-model was proposed. Findings were compared to results obtained under analogous methodologies in Ileia, Greece.

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Acknowledgments

This work was co-financed by Greece and the European Union under the European Social Fund NSRF 2007-2013 (Archimedes III). Managing Authority, Greek Ministry Of Education & Religious Affairs, Culture & Sports. The authors would like to gratefully thank and acknowledge miss Feride Kulali, Suleyman Demirel University of Science, Department of Physics Isparta, Turkey, for her assistance with the radon data in Mytilene. Miss Feride was placed on 2008 at the University of the Aegean Islands through Erasmus project and assisted Dr. Vogiannis, visiting Professor in the University of the Aegean Islands in 2008, in data derivation and handling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Material Science, Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Piraeus, Petrou Ralli & Thivon 250, Aigaleo, 12244, Athens, Greece

    Dimitrios Nikolopoulos

  2. Department of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, London, UB8 3PH, UK

    Ermioni Petraki & John Stonham

  3. Evangelical Model School of Smyrna, Lesvou 4, Nea Smirni, 17123, Athens, Greece

    Efstratios Vogiannis

  4. IEEE Student Branch, Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Piraeus, Petrou Ralli & Thivon 250, Aigaleo, 12244, Athens, Greece

    Yiannis Chaldeos

  5. Computer Engineering Department, Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Piraeus, Petrou Ralli & Thivon 250, Aigaleo, 12244, Athens, Greece

    Panayiotis Yannakopoulos

  6. Medical Physic Department, Medical School, University of Athens, Mikras Asias 75, Goudi, 11527, Athens, Greece

    Sofia Kottou

  7. Department of Electronics, Technological Educational Institution of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos, Aigaleo, 12210, Athens, Greece

    Constantinos Nomicos

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  1. Dimitrios Nikolopoulos
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Nikolopoulos, D., Petraki, E., Vogiannis, E. et al. Traces of self-organisation and long-range memory in variations of environmental radon in soil: comparative results from monitoring in Lesvos Island and Ileia (Greece). J Radioanal Nucl Chem 299, 203–219 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2764-8

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