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Masson O, Bieringer J, Brattich E, Dalheimer A, Estier S, Penev I, Ringer W, Schlosser C, Steinkopff T, Steinmann P, Tositti L, Van Beek P, Vismes-Ott AD. Variation in airborne 134Cs, 137Cs, particulate 131I and 7Be maximum activities at high-altitude European locations after the arrival of Fukushima-labeled air masses. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 162-163:14-22. [PMID: 27214283 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima-labeled air mass arrival, and later the cesium-134 (134Cs), cesium-137 (137Cs) and particulate iodine-131 (hereafter noted 131Ip) maximum levels were registered in Europe at different dates depending on the location. Most of those data were obtained at low-altitude sampling areas. Here, we compare the airborne levels registered at different high-altitude European locations (from 850 m to about 3500 m). The integrated 137Cs activity concentration was not uniform with regard to the altitude even after a long travel time/distance from Japan. Moreover, the relation of integrated 137Cs vs. altitude showed a linear decrease up to an altitude of about 3000 m. A similar trend was noticed for 131Ip (particulate fraction) while it increased above 3000 m. Comparison with 7Be activity concentration showed that, as far as the high altitude location is concerned, the 137Cs and 134Cs maximum concentrations corresponded to the 7Be maximum, suggesting downdraft movements from high tropospheric or stratospheric layers to be responsible for 137,134Cs increase and peak values. This was also confirmed by high potential vorticity and low relative humidity registered during the peak values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Masson
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), BP 3, 13115, St Paul lez Durance, Cedex, France.
| | | | - Erika Brattich
- Laboratorio di Chimica e Radioattività ambientale, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Axel Dalheimer
- Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Referat TI 24, Frankfurterstraße 135, 63067 Offenbach, Germany
| | - Sybille Estier
- Federal Office of Public Health, (FOPH), Schwarzenburgstrasse 165, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ilia Penev
- Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy (INRNE), 72 Tzarigradsko shosse, Blvd Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Wolfgang Ringer
- Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Radon and Radioecology, 4020 Linz, Austria
| | | | - Thomas Steinkopff
- Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Referat TI 24, Frankfurterstraße 135, 63067 Offenbach, Germany
| | - Philipp Steinmann
- Federal Office of Public Health, (FOPH), Schwarzenburgstrasse 165, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Laura Tositti
- Laboratorio di Chimica e Radioattività ambientale, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Pieter Van Beek
- Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales (LEGOS), Observatoire Midi Pyrénées, 14 avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Anne de Vismes-Ott
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), LMRE, 501, Bois des Rames, 91400 Orsay, France
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