title: Study of ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb as radiotracers of African intrusions in Malaga (Spain).
abstract: The relationship between the particulate matter in the atmosphere of Malaga and the origin of air masses with special attention to African intrusions was analyzed. The concentrations of PM10 and the activities of some radionuclides ((7)Be and (210)Pb) as tracers of these intrusions are discussed. The origin of these radiotracers is completely different. (210)Pb is a good tracer of air masses traveling close to the ground and come from inland areas. On the other hand, the production of (7)Be is very low in the vicinity of the Earth's surface, and increases with altitude, making it a great tracer of stratospheric air masses in the troposphere. Studies of radionuclide activities in aerosol particles provide a means for evaluating the integrated effects of transport and meteorology on the atmospheric loadings of substances with different sources. Measurements of aerosol mass concentration and specific activities of (7)Be and (210)Pb in aerosols at Malaga (36° 43' 40″ N; 4° 28' 8″ W) for the period 2009-2011 were used to obtain the relationships between radionuclide activities and airflow patterns by comparing the data grouped by air mass trajectory. The average concentration values of (7)Be and (210)Pb over the 3-year period have been found to be 5.05 and 0.55 mBq m(-3), respectively, with mean aerosol mass concentration of 53.6 μg m(-3). Taking into account the outbreaks of the daily values limits of PM10 in the study period (2009-2011), the origin of air masses is studied to explain three different situations of both radionuclides (7)Be and (210)Pb: 1) high concentrations of (7)Be and low concentrations of (210)Pb; 2) high concentrations of (210)Pb and low concentrations of (7)Be and 3) high concentrations of (7)Be and (210)Pb.
authors.affiliation: Central Research Facilities, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain. Electronic address: elisagp@uma.es.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gordo
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics II, Technical College of Informatic Engineering, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Liger
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics I, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dueñas
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics I, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: Central Research Facilities, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cañete
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Health Physics, Ophthalmology and OTL, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000349:Africa; D000392:Air Movements; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D001608:Beryllium / Q000032:analysis*; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive; D004391:Dust; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011868:Radioisotopes; D001608:Beryllium
keywords: (210)Pb; (7)Be; African dust; PM10; Radiotracers