Measurements of the stratospheric plume from the Mount St. Helens eruption: radioactivity and chemical composition

Journal Article · Fri Nov 20 00:00:00 EST 1981 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.214.4523.904· OSTI ID:5898084

Leifer, R ^[1]; Hinchliffe, L; Fisenne, I; Franklin, H; Knutson, E; Olden, M; Sedlacek, W; Mroz, E; Cahill, T

---

1. Dept. of Energy, New York, NY

Gas measurements made in the stratospheric plume from the eruption of Mount St. Helens on 18 May 1980 were not consistent with a reported large injection of radon-222 into the atmosphere. No enrichment in the volatile element polonium was found in filter samples, and the ratio of polonium-210 to lead-210 was not different from background values. Data obtained with an experimental impactor, flown shortly after the eruption, showed an increase of 10/sup 3/ in the stratospheric number concentration of submicrometer sulfate particles compared to concentrations before the eruption.

• OSTI ID: 5898084
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 214
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
MT ST HELENS
AERIAL MONITORING
VOLCANIC GASES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
RADIOACTIVITY
ERUPTION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
LEAD 210
MULTI-ELEMENT ANALYSIS
PARTICULATES
PLUMES
POLONIUM 210
RADON 222
SAMPLING
STRATOSPHERE
SULFATES
X-RAY EMISSION ANALYSIS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DATA
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LEAD ISOTOPES
MONITORING
MOUNTAINS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
POLONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
RADON ISOTOPES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
500200* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
500300 - Environment
Atmospheric- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)