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Science 13 February 1970:
Vol. 167. no. 3920, pp. 974 - 977
DOI: 10.1126/science.167.3920.974
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Articles

Radon-222 in the North Atlantic Trade Winds: Its Relationship to Dust Transport from Africa

Joseph M. Prospero 1 and Toby N. Carlson 2

1 University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami, Florida 33149
2 National Hurricane Research Laboratory, Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Environmental Science Services Administration, Miami, Florida 33124

The concentration of radon-222 in air was measured during a flight from Miami to Barbados to Dakar and return; concentrations ranged from 1 to 55 picocuries per standard cubic meter of air and were highest in areas of dense haze, which were present along most of the flight path across the Atlantic Ocean. The haze is attributed to dust originating from the arid regions of western Africa. Radon-222 may be useful as a tracer for African air parcels over the equatorial Atlantic.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)