Describing the annual cyclic behaviour of Be concentrations in surface air in Oceania

Surface air concentrations of ⁷Be at a number of stations in Oceania show a distinct annual cycle. We apply a sinusoidal model to describe this cycle. The results show that peak ⁷Be concentrations in surface air occur during early spring at tropical latitudes and during mid-to-late summer at middle latitudes. Comparison with available ⁹⁰Sr surface air data for the southern hemisphere indicates that stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange is an active atmospheric process controlling the ⁷Be annual cycle throughout the Oceania region. Vertical transport of air within the troposphere also seems to influence the observed annual cycle. Seasonality in rainfall is not thought to control the annual cyclic behaviour of ⁷Be in surface air.     

水中痕量铍的稳定性研究

本文研究了水中痕量铍的稳定性大小,与水中酸度、与水中存在的沉淀物种类及量以及与贮存容器有关,为了使标准溶液与水样中痕量铍不致因容器表壁吸附或沉淀物吸附而损失,经试验采用聚乙烯瓶盛装最好,并用盐酸或硝酸调至溶液酸度为pH1-2为好。     

宇宙成因核素26Al/10Be约束贵州涟江流域沉积物埋藏历史

贵州喀斯特地区位于青藏高原向丘陵地貌转换过渡带,区内发育多级层状地貌面,是研究区域构造-气候-剥蚀耦合作用的天然实验场。本文测定了贵州省惠水县境内涟江I级阶地沉积物中原位宇宙成因核素¹⁰Be和²⁶Al浓度,通过暴露-埋藏模型对沉积物埋藏历史和物源进行研究。与前人研究结果相比,涟江流域单核素剥蚀速率（¹⁰Be平均剥蚀速率为10.85±0.97 m/Ma）显著低于贵州高原其他流域。结合双核素暴露-埋藏模型,研究结果表明更新世以来沉积物样品可能经历了复杂暴露-埋藏-再暴露过程,其物源可能是异地埋藏或洞穴堆积等非稳态剥蚀区。宇宙成因核素对²⁶Al-¹⁰Be联用能有效判别非稳态剥蚀过程,弥补了单核素不能表征沉积物埋藏历史的不足。     

Medical radioisotopes in the environment – following the pathway from patient to river sediment

Motivated by the detection of ¹³¹I in river sediment in routine long-term surveillance samples, a systematic short-term study of the wastewater treatment chain was planned and conducted. Inflow, effluent and primary sludge were collected on a daily basis during two weeks at a regional wastewater treatment plant. Samples were investigated by gamma spectroscopy. Four medically used isotopes could be identified (¹³¹I and ^99mTc regularly, ¹⁵³Sm and ¹²³I sporadically). The concentration levels coincide well with literature data for ¹³¹I, and with our own long-term data for ¹³¹I and ^99mTc for the same plant. Cosmogenic ⁷Be activity in primary sludge correlated well with rainfall intensity. Surface sediment was sampled at low tide at both shores of the river, up- and downstream of the plant. ¹³¹I was identified in all samples, with a sharp maximum (about 100 Bq kg⁻¹ d.m.) at the discharge point of the plant and lower levels elsewhere, decreasing monotonically in downstream direction. ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs showed the same behaviour, but no peak at the discharge point. Predictions from simple equilibrium models for the transport and sedimentation of ¹³¹I show good agreement with the experimental data and suggest that the wastewater treatment plant is the main source for this isotope.     

Dissolution of beryllium in artificial lung alveolar macrophage phagolysosomal fluid

Dissolution of a lung burden of poorly soluble beryllium particles is hypothesized to be necessary for development of chronic beryllium lung disease (CBD) in humans. As such, particle dissolution rate must be sufficient to activate the lung immune response and dissolution lifetime sufficient to maintain chronic inflammation for months to years to support development of disease. The purpose of this research was to investigate the hypothesis that poorly soluble beryllium compounds release ions via dissolution in lung fluid. Dissolution kinetics of 17 poorly soluble particulate beryllium materials that span extraction through ceramics machining (ores, hydroxide, metal, copper-beryllium [CuBe] fume, oxides) and three CuBe alloy reference materials (chips, solid block) were measured over 31 d using artificial lung alveolar macrophage phagolysosomal fluid (pH 4.5). Differences in beryllium-containing particle physicochemical properties translated into differences in dissolution rates and lifetimes in artificial phagolysosomal fluid. Among all materials, dissolution rate constant values ranged from 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻¹⁰ g cm⁻² d⁻¹ and half-times ranged from tens to thousands of days. The presence of magnesium trisilicate in some beryllium oxide materials may have slowed dissolution rates. Materials associated with elevated prevalence of CBD had faster beryllium dissolution rates [10⁻⁷-10⁻⁸ g cm⁻² d⁻¹] than materials not associated with elevated prevalence (p < 0.05).     

Comparative trends and seasonal variation of ⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs at two altitude sites in the central part of France

The atmospheric concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb, and ⁷Be were measured over a three-year period at two research stations located less than 12 km apart and at different altitudes (puy de Dôme, 1465 m a.s.l. and Opme, 660 m a.s.l., France). Seasonal trends in all radionuclides were observed at both stations, with high concentration measured during the summer and low concentrations during the winter. The ²¹⁰Pb concentrations at both stations were similar to each other. Higher concentrations of both ⁷Be and ¹³⁷Cs were measured at puy de Dôme than at Opme. These observations can be explained by the stratospheric and upper tropospheric sources of ⁷Be and the long-range transportation of ¹³⁷Cs at high altitudes. Air mass origins during sampling periods were classified into several groups by their route to the stations (marine, marine modified, continental and mediterranean). We observed that ⁷Be concentrations were constant regardless of the air mass origins, unlike ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations that increased when influenced by continental air masses. Higher ⁷Be concentrations were observed when air masses were arriving from the upper troposphere than from the boundary layer, the opposite was observed for ¹³⁷Cs. The temporal trend in concentrations of ⁷Be shows good agreement with previous modelling studies suggesting that there is a good understanding of its sources and the atmospheric vertical mixing of this radionuclide. The sources and mixing of ²¹⁰Pb, however, seem to be more complex than it appeared to be in previous modelling studies.     

Analyses of airborne Be concentrations in Hong Kong using back-trajectories

A total of 71 air samples were collected in Hong Kong area from November 2001 to February 2003 using a high-volume air sampler and a high-volume cascade impactor with five atmospheric pressure stages. The ⁷Be radioactivity on each stage was measured using a high-efficiency germanium gamma-ray spectrometer. From the radioactivity of stages, the total airborne ⁷Be radioactivity was determined. The activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of ⁷Be-associated atmospheric aerosols was found to be 0.22–1.11 μm and the geometric standard deviation (GSD) was found to be 1.2–10.5. With the assumed mean growth rate (MGR) of atmospheric aerosols of 0.004–0.005 μm h⁻¹ and the size of Aitken nuclei of 0.015 μm, the residence times of ⁷Be-associated atmospheric aerosols were also found from the AMAD.Three-dimensional 4-day back-trajectories were obtained using the HYSPLIT model from NOAA Air Resources Laboratory. These trajectories were used with the measured ⁷Be radioactivity to construct regional ⁷Be intensity fields for four different altitude levels (less than 1000, 1000–2000, 2000–3000 and above 3000 m) with a Geographic Information System (GIS). Low ⁷Be intensities were found to have advected from low altitudes (less than 1000 m) and oceanic areas. The ⁷Be intensities increased for the higher intensity field layers.By comparing the time taken for air masses to come from the ⁷Be source to Hong Kong and the residence time determined from the AMAD of ⁷Be-associated atmospheric aerosols, good agreement was found if the mean growth rate of 0.005 μm h⁻¹ for atmospheric aerosols was used, and the use of back-trajectories was shown to be satisfactory even up to about 6.5 d. By using the residence time with a MGR of 0.005 μm h⁻¹, the ⁷Be source was found to be relatively well confined in the areas of Mongolia and southeastern Siberia, which further supported that the association of ⁷Be source with the Siberian anticyclone.     

马兰黄土中Laschamp地磁漂移的10^Be记录与古地磁测试结果的初步对比

Laschamp地磁场漂移事件发生的确切年代(~42kaBP)已通过相对独立的同位素定年手段确定,并被证实具有全球性特征.但这一事件在我国马兰黄土地层中的记录存在着明显的空间差异.本文初步对比了最近发表的黄土高原洛川剖面mBe4L录的Laschamp漂移信息和前人根据该44面古地磁参数异常结合Heinrich冷事件所确...     

大气生成宇宙成因核素~(10)Be在中国黄土中的应用研究进展

中国黄土~(10)Be研究大体上经历了三个阶段:(1)地球化学行为研究:~(10)Be主要吸附于细颗粒及粘土颗粒,在黄土中保存性好,不会发生明显的化学迁移过程;(2)古气候代用指标应用:~(10)Be在黄土和古土壤层中的浓度变化与代表气候变化的深海氧同位素曲线变化一致,且可借此进行黄土年代标尺的建立;(3)地球环境示踪研究:示踪地磁场倒转及漂移事件,恢复古地磁场相对强度变化,以及定量重建黄土高原地区古降水变化历史等。由于近年来黄土~(10)Be环境示踪研究取得了可喜的成果,笔者认为有必要从以上三个方面对中国黄土~(10)Be研究历史进行较为系统的梳理回顾,总结当前最新研究进展,展望未来黄土~(10)Be在环境示踪中的研究方向,希望能使读者在短时间内了解中国黄土~(10)Be研究的发展脉络。     

2011年春季日本福岛核泄漏污染输送:贵阳131I和137Cs观测示踪分析

2011年3月11日,日本本州9.0级地震引发了福岛核电站核泄漏,以及由此引起的131I和137Cs在全球大气环流传输已引起了重视.理论上也对这种输送路径进行了研究.本文报道2011年3月17日—4月28日在贵阳观风山对气溶胶中天然核素(210Pb、7Be)和人为核素(131I、137Cs)近地面空气浓度逐周采样的系统对比观测,并结合该时段贵阳离地面500m高度逐周315h的气团后向轨迹分析.结果表明:福岛核泄漏污染物通过两条显著的途径输送到贵阳地区.第一条是首波核污染通过全球大气环流传输,由西向东,几乎环绕地球一周,历经约10d至两周,最终在3月24日—31日从我国的西北地区入侵抵至贵阳;第二条途径则是福岛地区上空的核污染气团受东北天气系统的挤压南移并在低纬度地区再次先后受到东北和东南气流的影响,于4月7日—14日抵达贵阳.核污染的第一条输送路径是全球尺度,第二条是东亚区域尺度.