Air monitoring update (2/13/2012)
2/13/2012 (2:52pm): This is an update on some of the other activity going on around here that is not visible on this website. We currently have some students designing and building a more permanent air monitoring system that will be operated on the roof of our building. This system will allow us to make continuous measurements of gamma-ray emitting radioactive isotopes in the air, such as the naturally-occurring decay products of radon gas. We will then be able to study the natural variations in radon gas concentration in the air as well as to continue monitoring for fission product isotopes such as those that we detected last year from the Fukushima accident.
Mark [BRAWM Team Member]
Again - JMS
Thank you for everything you guys are doing. - From a Momma who's been lurking here since the beginning.
Excellent
That's great news Mark. I look forward to the seeing the radon science and it would also be comforting to have a first line of notification if there are further releases from Japan.
It would be neat to pair this type of measurement with a small rainwater setup, maybe not using spectrometry but a pancake tube style GM to see if the amount of radon and friends in the air at ground level has any correlation with the amount of said items washed out during rainstorms. Two of the fellows on the radiation network put together such a device...pretty cool. You might check them out as updates here dated 9/11 and 10/11 - http://www.radiationnetwork.com/Message.htm.
Anyhow, as always thanks for the team's efforts.
BC 2/13