⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po in the surface air from the Arctic to Antarctica

In the present study we have investigated the activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb, ²¹⁰Po as well as ⁷Be in surface air over the North and South Atlantic (1988-89), the Arctic Ocean (1991), and along the coast line of Siberia (1994) during succeeding expeditions in the Swedish Polar Research Program. During the cruise in the Arctic Ocean during 1991-07-28 to 1991-10-04 the average air concentrations of ⁷Be was 0.6±0.4 mBq/m³, ²¹⁰Pb was 46±34 mBq/m³ and ²¹⁰Po was 37±23 mBq/m³. During the Swedish-Russian Tundra Ecology-94 expedition along the Siberian coastline the average air concentrations of ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb measured during May-July were 11±3 and 2.4±0.4 mBq/m³ respectively and during July-September they were 7.2±2 and 2.7±1.1 mBq/m³ respectively. The activity concentration of ⁷Be in the Arctic air observed by other authors varies between 2-5 mBq.m^-3 with average 2.8±0.3 mBq.m^-3. All observations of the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Pb in the air over the Arctic Ocean vary between 75-176 mBq.m^-3. But in the air close to land masses the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Pb in the air increase to 269-2712 mBq.m^-3. Most observations of the activity concentration of ²¹⁰Po in the Arctic air vary between 23 and 38 mBq.m^-3. A higher value of 100 mBq.m^-3 was observed in 1996 at Poker Flat in Alaska, USA