A comparative study in tritium in precipitation in four Chinese cities with different climate regimes

Abstract

Four GNIP sites, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shijiazhuang and Urumqi with relatively complete tritium records, have been selected to determine the characteristics of tritium in precipitation in different climatic and geographical regions in China. The highest concentration, 559 TU, was measured at Hong Kong in April 1963 and resulted from Soviet thermonuclear testing. During 1985–2004, tritium values decreased substantially due to the radioactive decay and the vapor exchange between the atmosphere and ocean. During this period, tritium concentrations tended to be much higher in inland regions than in coastal regions. This difference may be explained by the continental effect and the inland continental thermonuclear testing. Stratosphere-to-troposphere exchange is the important driver for the timing of tritium seasonal peak at Urumqi and Kunming, but this mechanism is less pronounced at Hong Kong and Shijiazhuang. This offset indicates that the complex stratosphere–troposphere exchange process appears to be neither seasonally nor geographically uniform. The amount effect was only observed at the Hong Kong, indicating different tritium sources than at the other locations. Therefore, air masses influencing tritium in precipitation are more complex in inland region than in coastal region.