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Radon: A Tracer for Atmospheric Studies

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Book cover Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies

Part of the book series: Springer Geochemistry ((SPRIGEO))

Abstract

Radon is an ideal atmospheric tracer due its mean-life, which is long compared to turbulent timescales, but short enough to constrain 222Rn activities in the free troposphere; the mean-life is comparable to the transit time of air masses across major continents, but much shorter compared to the global mixing time scale of the atmosphere. A well-defined, yet, simple source function (~99 % from continents and ~1 % from oceans) and sink (100 % removal by radioactive decay), as well as large observed gradient in radon concentrations between oceanic and terrestrial air masses aid in identifying and quantifying the sources of air masses, thereby serving as an unambiguous indicator of recent terrestrial influence on the oceanic air mass. Vertical profiles of atmospheric radon in different seasons combined with modeling efforts have provided insights on the inter-seasonal variations of the fractional escape of other trace gases from the planetary boundary layer to the upper atmosphere. Future promising areas of research include investigations on the monsoon dynamics in the Indian subcontinent by combining air trajectory analysis and temporal variations of 222Rn in the upper air and identifying the possible link (if any) between radonic storms observed in the Polar Regions and transport of water vapor by atmospheric rivers from low to high latitudes.

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Acknowledgments

The work synthesized in this chapter was partially supported by NSF Grants (OCE-1237059 and PLR-1434578). An in-depth review of this chapter by Scott Chambers is deeply appreciated. Editorial review by Katie Krupp is appreciated.

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  1. Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Mark Baskaran

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  1. Mark Baskaran
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Baskaran, M. (2016). Radon: A Tracer for Atmospheric Studies. In: Radon: A Tracer for Geological, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies. Springer Geochemistry. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21329-3_4

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