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Radionuclide variations in the air over Monaco

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Abstract

Radionuclides in aerosols and precipitation have been analyzed by IAEA-MEL in Monaco since 1987 and 1999, respectively, to identify their behavior in the atmosphere and delivery into the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. While the concentration of 7Be in aerosols has been affected by the stratospheric-tropospheric mixing and precipitation, the concentration of 137Cs in aerosols has been influenced by a combination of local meteorological conditions and re-suspension of 137Cs from soil. Higher concentrations of 7Be, 137Cs, 239,240Pu and 241Am in precipitation occurred during spring and summer. The highest deposition rates of these radionuclides were observed in spring and autumn during periods of high precipitation. A good correlation was found between the amount of precipitation and depositional flux for 7Be, but not for 137Cs, 239,240Pu and 241Am. This indicates that the wet process as well as the dry process seem to be important factors in determining the annual deposition for transuranic radionuclides and 137Cs.

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  1. Marine Environment Laboratory, International Atomic Energy Agency, MC 98012, Monaco

    S.-H. Lee, M. K. Pham & P. P. Povinec

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  1. S.-H. Lee
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  2. M. K. Pham
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Lee, SH., Pham, M.K. & Povinec, P.P. Radionuclide variations in the air over Monaco. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 254, 445–453 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021625718431

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