Measurements of the fallout flux of beryllium-7 and its variability in the soil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the beryllium-7 behavior in the soil. Natural variability of beryllium-7 concentration was calculated to be about 23% (relative standard deviation), and the depth distribution could be approximated by an exponential decay in bare soil, with an average penetration depth in the soil about 1 cm. The nuclide was not found below 2 cm depth, which confirmed its utilization to infer the erosion processes as a tracer of soil surface. The maximum beryllium-7 concentration in the analyzed period was about 40 Bq.kg-1.