Simultaneous Observations of Gamma Background of Soil Radionuclides and Electrical Conductivity of the Surface Atmosphere

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Abstract

The paper presents the results of simultaneous ground-based observations of gamma-ray spectra from soil radionuclides, volumetric radon activity, and electrical conductivity of the air in the surface atmosphere. Based on the analysis of gamma-ray spectra, the concentrations of 238 U, 232 Thand 40 Kin the upper soil layer and the terrestrial gamma-ray dose rate were estimated for 43 sites at 8 observation points, the distance between which ranges from 1 mto 25 km. The range of recorded concentrations was 1.28-2.64 mg/kgfor 40 K, 0.7-1.41 mg/kgfor 238 U, and 4.4-8.88 mg/kgfor 232 Th. The average ratios between the volumetric activities of the specified soil radionuclides and statistics of deviations from the averages were determined. During the observation period, the range of gamma-ray dose rate variation from soil radionuclides at a height of 1 mabove the earth′ssurface was 26-52 nGy/h. During the rain, an increase in the number of gamma-quanta in the 214 Bipeaks is recorded, reaching 1200% for the quanta energy near 1765 keV and 300% for the quanta energy near 2204 keV. The autocorrelation function of the time series of gamma-ray dose rate from soil radionuclides in good weather conditions decreases with a characteristic time scale of several days, which decreases to several hours in the presence of precipitation in the analyzed time interval, accompanied by an increase in the 214 Bilines in the gamma-ray spectrum. The electrical conductivity of the air of the surface atmosphere shows the presence of a diurnal variation with a minimum in the daytime and two maxima — in the morning and evening. Observations distributed by height showed that the electrical conductivity at a height of 0.5 mis on average greater than at a height of 1.5 m, while in the daytime the difference in conductivity values at these heights is expressed more clearly.

About the authors

S. V. Anisimov

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

S. V. Galichenko

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

E. V. Klimanova

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

K. V. Afinogenov

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

A. S. Kozmina

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

A. A. Prokhorchuk

Borok Geophysical Observatory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: svga@borok.yar.ru
Borok, Russia

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