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An estimate of the global distribution of radon emissions from the ocean
Author(s) -
Schery S. D.,
Huang S.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2004gl021051
Subject(s) - radon , flux (metallurgy) , equator , latitude , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , climatology , climate model , atmosphere (unit) , troposphere , meteorology , climate change , geology , oceanography , physics , geodesy , quantum mechanics , materials science , metallurgy
There is a need for improved estimates of the radon ( 222 Rn) flux density from the ocean for use in the modeling and interpretation of atmospheric radon in global climate and air pollution studies. We use a modification of a frequently used model of gas transfer to generate global predictions of ocean radon flux density for each month of the year (climate averaged) on a 192 by 94 global grid. Compared with the often‐used approximation of a constant radon flux from the ocean, the model's predictions indicate large variations over regions of the ocean (a factor of ten is not uncommon). For example, latitude bands near the equator and Southern Ocean are predicted to emit relatively high average radon flux compared with other latitude bands. The predicted annually‐averaged flux density from the ocean is 0.0382 mBq m −2 s −1 (0.00182 atoms cm −2 s −1 ), smaller than some commonly‐used estimates.