Abstract
Within — few years of Becquerel’s discovery in 1896 of the radioactivity of uranium, it was recognised that the atmosphere itself is naturally radioactive. In 1900, Wilson1 investigated the electrical conductivity of air and showed that it could be explained by low level ionisation of the air, and two years later Elster and Geitel2 showed that — negatively charged wire exposed in the atmosphere became radioactive. The same authors3 showed that soils and rocks are sources of radon and thoron, radioactive gases which will produce radioactive decay products in the atmosphere (see also Section 9.2.1).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Wilson, C. T. R., Leakage of electricity through dust-free air. Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc, 11 (1900) 32.
Elster, J. & Geitel, H., Radioactivity of air embedded in rocks. Phys. Zeitschr, 3 (1902) 574.
Elster, J. & Geitel, H., Radioactivity in the atmosphere. Phys. Zeitschr, — (1904) 11–20.
Junge, C., Air Chemistry and Radioactivity. Academic Press, New York and London, 1963.
Jaenicke, R., Physical aspects of the atmospheric aerosol. In Aerosols and their Climatic Effects, ed. H. E. Gerber & A. Deepak. — Deepak Publishing, Hampton, Virginia, 1984, pp. 7–34.
Rahn, K. A., The chemical composition of the atmospheric aerosol. Technical Report of the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA, 1976.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionising Radiation. United Nations, New York, 1988.
Chamberlain, A. C, Radioactive Aerosols. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991.
Fisenne, J. M., Radon-222 measurements at Chester. In EML-411 Environmental Measurement Laboratory, New York, 1982, pp. 192–227.
Faltings, V. & Harteck, P., Tritium content of the atmosphere. Z. Natur-forsch. 5a (1950) 438–439.
Grosse, A. V., Johnston, W. M., Wolfgang, R. L., & Libby, W. F., Tritium in nature. Science, 113 (1951) 1–2.
National Council for Radiological Protection and Measurements. Tritium in the Environment. NCRP Report No. 62, 1979.
Volz, A., Enhalt, D. H., & Derwent, R. G., Seasonal and latitudinal variation of 14 CO and the tropospheric concentration of OH radicals. J. Geophys. Res., 86(1981)5163–5171.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 32nd Session. Supplement No. 40, A/32/40, United Nations, New York, 1977.
Lowe, O. C, Brenninkmeyer, C. A. M., Manning, M. R., Sparks, R. & Wallace, G., Radiocarbon determination of atmospheric methane at Baring Head, New Zealand. Nature, 332 (1988) 522–525.
Wahlen, M., Tanaka, N., Henry, R., Deck, B., Zeglen, J., Vogel, J. S., Southon, J., Shemesh, A., Fairbanks, R. & Broecker, W., Carbon-14 in methane sources and in atmospheric methane: the contribution from fossil carbon. Science, 245 (1989) 286–290.
Bondietti, E. A., & Papastefanou, C, Aerosdynamic size association of natural radioactivity with atmospheric aerosols. In Aerosols: Formation and Reactivity, 2nd International Aerosol Conference, 22-26 September 1986, Berlin. Pergamon Journals Ltd, Oxford, 1986, pp. 1146–11
Dutkiewicz, V. A., & Husain, L., Stratospheric and tropospheric components of 7 Be in surface air. J. Geophys. Res., 90 (1985) 5783–5788.
Feeley, W. W., Larsen, R. J., & Sanderson, C. G., Factors that cause seasonal variation in 7 Be concentrations in surface air. J. Environ. Radioact., 9 (1989) 223–245.
Turekian, K. K., Benninger, L. K. & Dion, E. P., 7 Be and 210 Pb total deposition fluxes at New Haven, Connecticut and at Bermuda. J. Geophys. Res., 88 (1983) 5411–5415.
Bondietti, E. A., Hoffmman, F. O., & Larsen, I. L., Air-to-vegetation transfer rates of natural submicron aerosols. J. Environ. Radioact., — (1984) 5–27.
Webb, J. H., The fogging of photographic film by radioactive contaminants in cardboard packaging materials. Phys. Rev., 76 (1949) 375–380.
Peirson, D. H., & Cambray, R. S., Interhemispheric transfer of debris from nuclear explosions using — simple atmospheric model. Nature, 216 (1967) 755–758.
Krey, P. W., & Krajewski, B. T., Stratospheric inventories. HASL-257, USAEC, New York, 1972.
Peirson, D. H., The passage of nuclear weapon debris through the atmosphere. In The Ecology of Resource Degradation and Renewal, ed. M. J. Chadwick & G. T. Goodman. Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1975.
Peirson, D. H., & Cambray, R. S., Fission product fallout from the nuclear explosions of 1961 and 1962. Nature, 205 (1965) 433–440.
Cambray, R. S., Playford, K., Lewis, G. N. J. & Carpenter, R. C, Radioactive fallout in air and rain: results to the end of 1987. AERE R13226 (1989) HMSO and earlier reports in the series.
Penney, Sir W. (Chairman of Committee), Accident at Windscale No. — Pile on 10th October 1957. Cmnd. 302, HMSO, 1957.
Chamberlain, A. C., & Dunster, H. J., Deposition of radioactivity in northwest England from the accident at Windscale. Nature, 182 (1988) 629–630.
Crabtree, J., The travel and diffusion of the radioactive material emitted during the Windscale accident. Q.J. Roy. Met. Soc, 85 (1959) 362–370.
Stewart, N. G., & Crooks, R. N., Long range travel of the radioactive cloud from the accident at Windscale. Nature, 182 (1958) 627–628.
Nikipelov, B. V., Romanov, G. N. et al. Accident in the Southern Urals on 29 September 1957. IAEA INFCIR/368, 1989.
Medvedeev, Z. A., Nuclear Disaster in the Urals. Norton, New York, 1979.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. 37th Session Supplement No. 45, A/37/45, United Nations, New York, 1982.
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. Krypton-85 in the atmosphere with specific reference to the public health significance of the proposed controlled release at Three Mile Island. 1980.
Krey, P. W., Stratospheric, trends and inventory of SNAP-9A debris. HASL 181 ppl-2, USAEC, New York, 1967.
Cambray, R. S., Cawse, P. A., Garland, J. A., Gibson, J. A. B., Johnson, P., Lewis, G. N. J., Newton, D., Salmon, L. & Wade, B. O., Observations on radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident. Nucl. Energy, 26(2) (1987) 77–101.
Devell, L., Tovedal, H. & Bergström, V. etal., Initial observations of fallout from the reactor accident at Chernobyl. Nature, 321 (1986) 192–193.
Jaworowski, Z. & Kownacka, L., Tropospheric and stratospheric distributions of radioactive iodine and caesium isotopes from the Chernobyl accident. J. Environ. Radioact., 6 (1988) 145–150.
McKay, W. A., & Pattenden, N. J., The transfer of radionuclides from sea to land via the air: — review. J.Environ. Radioact., 12 (1990) 49–77.
Cambray, R. S., & Eakins, J. D., Pu, 241 Am and 137 Cs in soil in West Cumbria and — maritime effect. Nature, 300 (1982) 46–48.
Lal, D., Malhotra, P. K., & Peters, B., On the production of radioisotopes in the atmosphere by cosmic radiation and their application to meteorology. Journal of Atmosph. and Terrest. Phys., 12 (1958) 306–328.
Feichter, J. & Zimmermann, P. H., Cumulus cloud vertical transport studies with the MOGUNTIA model. In Air Pollution Modelling and its Application-VII, ed. H. van Dop. Plenum Press, New York, 1989.
Reiter, E. E., Atmospheric transport processes part 4: Radioactive tracers. Technical Information Centre, US Department of Energy, Springfield, VA, USA, 1978.
Hough, A. M., The development of — two-dimensional model-1. The model transport. Atmos. Environ., 23 (1989) 1235–1261.
Chamberlain, A. C, Deposition of lycopodium spores and other small particles to rough surfaces. Proc. Roy. Soc, A296 (1967) 45–70.
Garland, J. A., Surface deposition from radioactive plumes. Proc. Seminar on Radioactive Releases and their Dispersion in the Atmosphere Following — Hypothetical Reactor Accident. CEC Brussels, Ris0, 1980.
Slinn, W. E. N., Precipitation scavenging. In Atmospheric Science and Power Production, ed. D. Randerson. US Dept. of Energy, DOE/TIC-27601.
Garland, J. A., & Cambray, R. S., Deposition, resuspension and the long term variation of airborne radioactivity from Chernobyl. Paper presented at IVth International Symposium of Radioecology, CEN, Cadarache, 14-18 March 1988.
Chalmers, J. A., Atmospheric Electricity, — nd ed. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1967.
Bricard, J., Action of radioactivity and of pollution upon parameters of atmospheric electricity. In Problems of Atmospheric and Space Electricity, ed. S. C. Coroniti. Elsevier, Amsterdam, London and New York, 1965.
Volland, H., Atmospheric Electrodynamics. Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1984.
Coroniti, S. C, Problems of Atmospheric and Space Electricity. Elsevier, 1965, pp. 140–143.
Gibson, J. A. B., Richards, J. E., & Docherty, J., Nuclear radiation in the environment in beta and gamma-ray dose rates and air ionisation from 1951 to 1968.J.Atmos. Terrest. Phys., 31 (1969) 1183–1196.
Pierce, E. T., Radioactive fallout and secular effects in atmospheric electricity. J. Geophys. Res., 11 (1972) 482–487.
Boeck, W. L., Meteorological, consequences of atmospheric krypton-85. Science, 193 (1976) 195–198.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Garland, J.A., Cambray, R.S., Johnson, C.E. (1993). Atmospheric Radioactivity and Its Variations. In: Hewitt, C.N., Sturges, W.T. (eds) Global Atmospheric Chemical Change. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1864-4_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1864-4_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-85166-889-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1864-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive