A record of atmospheric 210Pb deposition in The Netherlands

The deposition flux of total atmospheric 210Pb has been measured at two sites in The Netherlands: Texel from 1992 to 1996 and Groningen from 1989 to 1994. With predominant westerly oceanic winds, the annual 210Pb deposition is relatively low as 222Rn, the source for atmospheric 210Pb, is mainly exhaled by the continents. The daily fluctuations in 210Pb deposition are determined by the almost random daily fluctuations in precipitation and the concentration in groundlevel air. The variations in annual 210Pb deposition flux appear to be mainly correlated with the number of heavy rains or thunder storms. This explains the variations in annual deposition at short distance. The average 210Pb deposition at Groningen (1987–1994) is 200 mBq m−2 day−1. The 210Pb deposition over the North Sea is estimated to be 115 mBq m−2 day−1 in the same period. The deposition velocity in Groningen is 1.0 cm s−1, which is similar to measurements in Virginia and Connecticut.