Atmospheric deposition of beryllium 7 in the Chesapeake Bay region

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  • JDJack E. Dibb
    Jack E. Dibb
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Abstract
Bulk (combined wet and dry) atmospheric deposition of the cosmogenic isotope 7Be was monitored at Solomons, Maryland (38°19′N, 76°27′W), from March 1986 to November 1987. The observed deposition of 7Be supported an inventory ranging from 2 to 4 dpm (disintegrations per minute)/cm2. The supported inventory and monthly fluxes of 7Be showed maxima in late spring (March–May). The peak in 7Be deposition was very similar in 1986 and 1987 despite 1986 having a very dry spring. It thus appears that given even modest amounts of precipitation, there is strong seasonality in the atmospheric deposition of 7Be near 40°N. The timing and magnitude of the spring peak in 7Be deposition are in close agreement with estimates of the seasonal variation in the injection of stratospheric air into the troposphere, suggesting that on a monthly time scale the bulk deposition of 7Be closely reflects the tropospheric inventory of 7Be.

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