7Be in the lower atmosphere at a mid-latitude (40°N) during the year 2009 of a particular minimum of solar activity

Abstract

7Be activity concentrations were measured in the lower atmosphere at Thessaloniki, Northern Greece (40°38′N, 22°58′E) over the year 2009, a year of a particular minimum of solar activity. The mean annual activity concentration of 7Be at that year was 6.01 mBq m−3. The variability of 7Be surface concentrations related to the solar cycle appeared to be deviated about 40% between the maximum and the minimum values. A positive correlation (R = 0.97) was revealed between the activity concentrations of 7Be and the temperature, confirming that the increased rates of vertical transport within the troposphere, especially during the warmer months, resulted in carrying down to the surface layer air masses enriched in 7Be. Relatively high values of 7Be activity concentrations were observed by increasing of the tropopause height. A negative correlation (R = −0.65) between the 7Be activity concentrations and the relative humidity was due to the condensation process in the lower atmosphere which resulted in increased aerosol particle sizes with higher scavenging rates of aerosols and low activity concentrations of 7Be in the atmosphere. Influence of precipitation on the changes of 7Be activity concentrations was also observed.