Radon-222 measurements at Cape Point: A characterization of a 15-year time series

Abstract

The Cape Point (CPT) Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) research station have been monitoring climatically significant trace gases for four decades. Among these is radon, a naturally occurring noble gas with a large continental source, which has proven very useful for atmospheric tracer studies. 222Rn, the radioactive decay daughter product of radon gas, forms part of the long-term exposure of radiation dosages that humans are continuously exposed to in the environment. In a first of its kind for the African continent, a radon climatology, based on a 15-year measurement record at CPT, was published in the Atmospheric Environment journal (www.elsevier.com/locate/ atmosenv).