Local Enhancement of Po-210 Atmospheric Flux at a Site in Izmir, Turkey

The annual atmospheric deposition rates of Po-210 and Pb-210 were determined in Izmir, Turkey. The samples were collected from 18 November 2008 to 17 November 2009. The annual Po-210 deposition flux was determined as 44.1 +/- 3.0 Bq m(-2) year(-1), while Pb-210 flux was calculated as 73.1 +/- 4.4 Bq m(-2) year(-1) using bulk collectors. The monthly deposition fluxes of Po-210 and Pb-210 were correlated with the amount of precipitation. The activity concentrations of the samples were found to vary between 5.7 +/- 1.1 and 167.1 +/- 7.5 mBq L-1, with an average value of 41.2 +/- 1.9 mBq L-1 for Po-210; and between 5.3 +/- 0.6 and 265.7 +/- 10.8 mBq L-1, with an average value of 67.3 +/- 2.7 mBq L-1 for Pb-210. The activity ratios of Po-210/Pb-210 in the samples ranged from 0.16 to 3.39, with an average value of 0.80. During the course of the study, Po-210 enhancement from both natural and anthropogenic sources was observed.