ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Deposition Rates of Atmospheric Particulates
Determined from 210Pb Measurements
in Soils and Air
Alfred S. Likuku1, Derek Branford2
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1Botswana College of Agriculture, Private Bag 0027, Gaborone, Botswana
2School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building,
Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2011;20(2):405-410
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ABSTRACT
Deposition rates of atmospheric particles were determined using previously published 210Pb data in soils
and air. The dry deposition velocities for moorland and woodland soils were 2.2±1.8 and 9±2 mm·s-1, respectively.
The 210Pb concentration in rain was calculated to be 94±10 mBq·L-1. The large (~4 times) deposition
velocities in woodland relative to moorland soils is an indication of the degree of accumulation of particles,
and most possibly contaminants within woodland soils, which is of practical importance in the mitigation of
pollutant concentrations in urban areas by planting trees.