Tracer studies of the atmosphere

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:6711876

Hodges, H L

The first phase of the thesis work deals with the study of the fate of debris from the French nuclear detonations of spring 1960. Experimental data strongly suggest that part of the /sup 89/Sr and /sup 90/Sr atoms produced by the French nuclear detonations were transported from the troposphere to the stratosphere, as would have been expected from the Brewer-Dobson air circulation model. The second phase of the thesis work deals with the mean residence time of /sup 90/Sr in the stratosphere. Widely different views have been offered to the concept of the mean residence time of /sup 90/Sr in the stratosphere. The confusion is due primarily to the fact that some investigators made their calculations on the basis of either a limited number of experimental data or incorrect assumptions, or both. The results indicate that the apparent mean residence time of /sup 90/Sr in the stratosphere is 0.7 +- 0.1 years and the rate of transfer of /sup 90/Sr from the stratosphere varies with season. During the spring months, the stratospheric fallout rate is by a factor of 3 to 4 greater than the over-all annual transfer rate, while in the fall months it is by the same factor smaller than the annual average rate.

• Research Organization: Arkansas Univ., Fayetteville (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AS05-76EV02529
• OSTI ID: 6711876
• Report Number(s): DOE/EV/02529-T7; ON: DE87008051
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXPLOSIONS
FALLOUT
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RESIDENCE HALF-TIME
STRATOSPHERE
STRONTIUM 89
STRONTIUM 90
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
TROPOSPHERE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES