Radon: a universal baseline indicator at sites with contrasting physical settings

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dc.contributor.authorChambers, SDen_AU
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, AGen_AU
dc.contributor.authorGiemsa, Een_AU
dc.contributor.authorLabuschagne, Cen_AU
dc.contributor.authorConen, Fen_AU
dc.contributor.authorReimann, Sen_AU
dc.contributor.authorKrummel, PBen_AU
dc.contributor.authorSteele, LPen_AU
dc.contributor.authorBarnes, JEen_AU
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-23T06:35:32Zen_AU
dc.date.available2020-03-23T06:35:32Zen_AU
dc.date.issued2016-11-16en_AU
dc.date.statistics2020-03-20en_AU
dc.description.abstractThe primary goal of World Meteorological Organisation Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO‐GAW) baseline stations is systematic global monitoring of chemical composition of the atmosphere, requiring a reliable, consistent and unambiguous approach for the identification of baseline air. Premier stations in the GAW baseline network span a broad range of physical settings, from remote marine to high‐altitude continental sites, necessitating carefully tailored site‐specific requirements for baseline sampling, data selection, and analysis. Radon‐222 is a versatile and unambiguous terrestrial tracer, widely‐used in transport and mixing studies. Since the majority of anthropogenic pollution sources also have terrestrial origins, radon has become a popular addition to the ‘baseline selection toolkit’ at numerous GAW stations as a proxy for ‘pollution potential’. In the past, detector performance and postprocessing methods necessitated the adoption of a relaxed (e.g. 100 mBq m‐3) radon threshold for minimal terrestrial influence, intended to be used in conjunction with other baseline criteria and analysis procedures, including wind speed, wind direction, particle number, outlier rejection and filtering. However, recent improvements in detector sensitivity, stability and post‐processing procedures have reduced detection limits below 10 mBq m‐3 at Cape Grim and to 25 mBq m‐3 at other baseline stations. Consequently, for suitably sensitive instruments (such as the ANSTO designed and built two‐filter dual‐flow‐loop detectors), radon concentrations alone can be used to unambiguously identify air masses that have been removed from terrestrial sources (at altitude or over ice), or in equilibrium with the ocean surface, for periods of >2‐3 weeks (radon ≤ 40 mBq m‐3). Potentially, radon observations alone can thus provide a consistent and universal (site independent) means for baseline identification. Furthermore, for continental sites with complex topography and meteorology, where true ‘baseline’ conditions may never occur, radon can be used to indicate the least terrestrially‐perturbed air masses, and provide a means by which to apply limits to the level of ‘acceptable terrestrial influence’ for a given application. We demonstrate the efficacy of the radon‐based selection at a range of sites in contrasting physical settings, including: Cape Grim (Tasmania), Cape Point (South Africa), Mauna Loa (Hawaii), Jungfraujoch (Switzerland) and Schneefernerhaus (Germany).en_AU
dc.description.sponsorshipBureau of Meteorology and CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere,Climate Science Centre.en_AU
dc.identifier.citationChambers, S. D., Williams, A. G., Giemsa, E., Labuschagne, C., Conen, F., Reimann, S., Krummel, P.B., Steele, L. P. & Barnes, J. E. (2016). Radon: a universal baseline indicator at sites with contrasting physical settings. Paper presented at the Atmospheric Composition & Chemistry Observations & Modelling Conference incorporating the Cape Grim Annual Science Meeting 16th-18th November 2016, Stanley Town Hall, 10 Church Street, Stanley, Tasmania.en_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceenddate18 November 2016en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencenameAtmospheric Composition & Chemistry Observations & Modelling Conference incorporating the Cape Grim Annual Science Meeting 2016en_AU
dc.identifier.conferenceplaceStanley Town Hall, 10 Church Street, Stanley, Tasmania.en_AU
dc.identifier.conferencestartdate16 November 2016en_AU
dc.identifier.govdoc7702en_AU
dc.identifier.urihttp://apo.ansto.gov.au/dspace/handle/10238/9194en_AU
dc.language.isoenen_AU
dc.publisherBureau of Meteorology and CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Climate Science Centre.en_AU
dc.subjectMeteorologyen_AU
dc.subjectAtmospheresen_AU
dc.subjectChemical compositionen_AU
dc.subjectEarth atmosphereen_AU
dc.subjectAiren_AU
dc.subjectData analysisen_AU
dc.subjectTracer techniquesen_AU
dc.subjectAir pollutionen_AU
dc.subjectRadonen_AU
dc.subjectWinden_AU
dc.subjectANSTOen_AU
dc.titleRadon: a universal baseline indicator at sites with contrasting physical settingsen_AU
dc.typeConference Abstracten_AU
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