Estimating the amount and distribution of radon flux density from the soil surface in China

Based on an idealized model, both the annual and the seasonal radon (222Rn) flux densities from the soil surface at 1099 sites in China were estimated by linking a database of soil 226Ra content and a global ecosystems database. Digital maps of the 222Rn flux density in China were constructed in a spatial resolution of 25 km × 25 km by interpolation among the estimated data. An area-weighted annual average 222Rn flux density from the soil surface across China was estimated to be 29.7 ± 9.4 mBq m−2 s−1. Both regional and seasonal variations in the 222Rn flux densities are significant in China. Annual average flux densities in the southeastern and northwestern China are generally higher than those in other regions of China, because of high soil 226Ra content in the southeastern area and high soil aridity in the northwestern one. The seasonal average flux density is generally higher in summer/spring than winter, since relatively higher soil temperature and lower soil water saturation in summer/spring than other seasons are common in China.