title: Temporal and small-scale spatial variability of 222Rn gas in a soil with a high gravel content.
abstract: To quantify the small-scale spatial and long-term temporal variability of the 222Rn concentration in a typical soil with a high gravel content, we monitored this radionuclide every week for 1 year, at 0.5 m and 1.0 m depth at nine sampling positions in a 20 x 20-m field, and at the four corners of a 1 x 1-m plot within this field. The data show that the 222Rn soil gas concentrations exhibited a spatial variability which is characterised in the 20 x 20-m field by coefficients of variation from 20 to 30% at 0.5 m depth, and from 15 to 20% at 1.0 m depth. Within the 1 x 1-m plot, these values were at both depths only 5-10%. In the winter months, the 222Rn soil gas concentration was higher at 0.5 m depth compared to that at 1.0 m depth. However, in the summer months, the opposite behavior was observed. Time series analysis of the data showed that the 222Rn concentrations in the soil gas determined at a given position and depth is strongly correlated with the preceding observation at this point. In addition, strong cross-correlations are present between the 222Rn concentration time series observed at different positions and depths. The above results are used to calculate the probability for estimating, within a given deviation, the annual mean 222Rn soil gas concentration from a single measurement on an arbitrary day of a given month at a limited number of sampling positions only. Because the 222Rn concentration in the soil gas can vary considerably even within 1 month, 222Rn measurement obtained only once in a given month (especially in January and February) can not be used to obtain a good estimate of the mean annual radon concentration, even if a large number of samples in the field are taken.
authors.affiliation: GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Radiation Protection, Neuherberg D-85764, Germany. bunzl@gsf.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bunzl
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruckerbauer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winkler
mesh_terms: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D004782:Environmental Health; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D011886:Radon / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D011886:Radon