RE: Outdoor Rn measurements (background)

["Joe Alvarez" <jalvarez@auxier.com>]

What Andy says is true.  This has been observed in a number of places. 
 There are also diural manifestations of Rn increases caused by wind 
direction.  Of particular intersest, Rn emission is practically 
non-existant from bodies of water, but Rn levels over bodies of water are 
wind direction dependent.  Nevertheless, the usual (most parts of the 
world) explanation for seasonal variations have to do with mixing depth of 
the local atmosphere.  The mixing depth effect is affected by, but not 
usually dominated by, other weather conditions such as rainfall, snowcover, 
wind direction, temperature, and soil moisture.  There many exceptions to 
the generalization.

The NRC document claiming summer to be higher than winter is quite unusual.

Joe Alvarez
Auxier & Associates
10317 Technology Dr. Suite 1
Knoxville, TN 37932
Tel: 423-675-3669
FAX: 423-675-3677

-----Original Message-----
From:	Andy Hull [SMTP:hull@mail.sep.bnl.gov]
Sent:	Wednesday, April 08, 1998 5:24 PM
To:	Multiple recipients of list
Subject:	Re: Outdoor Rn measurements (background)

Brian,
Although I agree with what's been said already, the possible existence of
potential radon/thoron emitting formations upwind of the predominant winds
in these months could be a consideration.  Many years ago, before I came to
BNL,
it was established that radon/thoron levels on Long Island are greater in
the winter months when the predominant winds are from the NNW and sweep
radon from the uranium rich Palisades (some 60 miles upwind).
Andy Hull

At 12:40 PM 4/8/98 -0500, you wrote:
>We see Rn levels go up in Dec/Jan each year, and have accepted this as 
fact,
> but does anyone have available data that supports this?  I have found 
some
>daily, and hourly data, but was hoping to find the data already 
summarized.
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Brian Rees
>brees@lanl.gov
>505-667-9980
>
>