A COMPILATION OF DATA ON LEAD-210 CONCENTRATION IN SURFACE AIR AND FLUXES AT THE AIR-SURFACE AND WATER-SEDIMENT INTERFACES

A Pb-210 database has recently been constructed and is now available. This base includes approximately 800 Pb-210 measurements of concentrat ion in air at the Earth's surface, together with deposition flux both at the atmosphere-Earth and water-sediment interfaces. Here the data a re analyzed and summarized. The atmospheric data (concentration and de position flux) are presented for the different geographical areas when sufficient measurements are available. The trends are discussed in te rms of mechanisms (sources, atmospheric circulation, and climate]. Wat er-sediment data are classified into four types of water reservoirs wh ich differ in their sedimentation mechanisms or in their in situ Pb-21 0 production. The corresponding histograms are compared with the air-s urface flux histogram. This database points out the complete lack of i nformation in some large areas of the planet.