Abstract
The atmospheric concentration of 210Pb was determined for two years at six stations in the western North Pacific region. The following results were obtained and discussed by comparing them with those of Al. The atmospheric concentration of 210Pb varied widely from week to week, but the degree of variation was about a half that of Al. Contrary to Al, the year-to-year variation of 210Pb was not pronounced and its seasonal variation was well expressed by a sine curve. The 210Pb concentration did not show a marked latitudinal variation and its base-line concentration was high in the surface air over the North Pacific. These suggest that atmospheric 210Pb has a longer residence time, due to its transportation through higher altitudes and deposits much more evenly onto the Earth's surface and the ocean, as compared with Al in mineral dust which is larger in size in the source region.
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Tsunogai, S., Kurata, T., Suzuki, T. et al. Seasonal variation of atmospheric 210Pb and Al in the western North Pacific region. J Atmos Chem 7, 389–407 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058712
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058712