Variabilidad espacial y temporal de fuentes y concentraciones de radón en la baja atmósfera

Abstract

The main aims of this work have been addressed to the study of the behaviour of both radon concentrations and radon sources in the low atmosphere of Andalusia, characterizing their dependence with local meteorological conditions. In this way, it could be possible evaluating the effect of anthropogenic radon sources such as the phosphogypsum (PG) stacks of Huelva (Mendana salt-marshes land, near Huelva town) on local radon concentration at the city and close locations at the South of Iberian peninsula. A high resolution European-scale inventory of radon emissions to the atmosphere has been established. Furthermore, a 40 years-scale climatologic description of radon, season scale fluctuations and annual radon exhalation cycles have been obtained. TTypical values of radon concentration in air and its dynamics of change at different locations in the South of Iberian Peninsula have been calculated. The influence of the PG stacks on radon concentration in air and its dosimetric contribution have been also determined. The application of computer simulation to this problem has allowed determining the effect of such source in Huelva town and the SW of the Iberian Peninsula for several especially relevant episodes.