Accelerator mass spectrometry of particle-bound 10Be

In the framework EU Project STACCATO (Influence of Stratosphere-Troposphere Exchange in A Changing Climate on Atmospheric Transport and Oxidation Capacity), the first long-term, simultaneous monitoring of the two cosmogenic radionuclides 7Be and 10Be was performed. Emphasis was paid to a high-resolution record of the data, too. A comprehensive data set was created in order to validate model calculations and to provide an independent estimate of the strength of atmospheric transport processes, such as stratosphere-troposphere exchange. For that reason, particle-bound beryllium isotopes were collected at three high-alpine meteorological stations: at Sonnblick (Austria), Zugspitze (Germany) and Jungfraujoch (Switzerland), respectively. A total of 400 daily or bi-daily 10Be measurements are now available. While 7Be sampling and measurement processes are well standardized, the determination of 10Be concentrations using AMS is more complicated. For that reason an extensive description of the 10Be measurement is given. Moreover, the basic characteristics of the 10Be/7Be ratios are presented, leading to a mean annual value of 2.08 and 1.82 for Jungfraujoch and Zugspitze, respectively. Analysis in combination with meteorological parameters shows the usefulness of the ratio as an index of stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT), especially when wet scavenging becomes important. Regression analysis of the 10Be/7Be ratio with 7Be, 10Be and relative humidity revealed that the ratio is virtually independent from the effect of wet scavenging while inspection of the weather patterns related to the highest ratios indicated the presence of typical patterns for stratospheric intrusions. Nevertheless, although the 10Be/7Be ratio can be successful in identifying certain STT cases it is a difficult parameter for an automated stratospheric intrusion detection algorithm