Gourdin E., Evrard O., Huon S., Reyss J. L., Ribolzi Olivier, Bariac T., Sengtaheuanghoung O., Ayrault S. (2014). Spatial and temporal variability of Be-7 and Pb-210 wet deposition during four successive monsoon storms in a catchment of northern Laos. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 136, p. 195-205. ISSN 0265-931X.
Titre du document
Spatial and temporal variability of Be-7 and Pb-210 wet deposition during four successive monsoon storms in a catchment of northern Laos
Gourdin E., Evrard O., Huon S., Reyss J. L., Ribolzi Olivier, Bariac T., Sengtaheuanghoung O., Ayrault S.
Source
Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 2014,
136, p. 195-205 ISSN 0265-931X
Fallout radionuclides Be-7 and Pb-210 have been identified as potentially relevant temporal tracers for studying soil particles dynamics (surface vs. subsurface sources contribution; remobilization of inchannel sediment) during erosive events in river catchments. An increasing number of studies compared Be-7: Pb-210 activity ratio in rainwater and sediment to estimate percentages of freshly eroded particles. However, the lack of data regarding the spatial and temporal variability of radionuclide wet deposition during individual storms has been identified as one of the main gaps in these estimates. In order to determine these key parameters, rainwater samples were collected at three stations during four storms that occurred at the beginning of the monsoon (June 2013) in the Houay Xon mountainous catchment in northern Laos. Rainwater Be-7 and Pb-210 activities measured using very low background hyperpure Germanium detectors ranged from 0.05 to 1.72 Bq L-1 and 0.02 to 0.26 Bq L-1, respectively. Water 8180 were determined on the same samples. Total rainfall amount of the four sampled storms ranged from 4.8 to 26.4 mm (51 mm in total) at the time-fractionated collection point. Corresponding cumulative 78e and 210Pb wet depositions during the sampling period were 17.6 and 2.9 Bq m(-2), respectively. The 7Be: 210Pb activity ratio varied (1) in space from 6 to 9 for daily deposition and (2) in time from 3 to 12 for samples successively collected. Intra-event evolution of rainwater 7Be and 210Pb activities as well as 8180 highlighted the progressive depletion of local infra-cloud atmosphere radionuclide stock with time (washout), which remains consistent with a Raleigh-type distillation process for water vapour. Intra-storm ratio increasing with time showed the increasing contribution of rainout scavenging. Implications of such variability for soil particle labelling and erosion studies are briefly discussed and recommendations are formulated for the collection of rainwater signature in studies based on the Be-7: Pb-210 ratio method, especially in tropical areas under high erosive pressure.