The Environmental Measurements Laboratory's Stratospheric Radionuclide (RANDAB) and Trace Gas (TRACDAB) Databases

Digital Data (DB-1019)

Investigator

Robert Leifer and Nita Chan

DOI

10.3334/CDIAC/atg.db1019

This subdirectory contains two databases contributed by Robert Leifer and Nita Chan (Environmental Measurements Laboratory [EML]). The databases contain stratospheric radionuclide (RANDAB) and trace gas (TRACDAB) measurements.

Description

RANDAB represents the worlds largest collection of stratospheric and upper tropospheric radionuclide data. The database contains results of measurements made from 1957 to 1983 during the ASHCAN, STARDUST, AIRSTREAM, and High Altitude Sampling Program (HASP) projects. More than 20,000 filters were collected during this period and analyzed for approximately 40 different radionuclides. All of the available data characterizing each filter are included in RANDAB. RANDAB offers gas samples characterizing the tritium, radon and ¹⁴CO₂ concentration in stratospheric air. Only a limited amount of data is available for radon because of analytical and sampling problems. The tritium data were provided graciously by Dr. Allen Mason of Los Alamos Laboratory and Dr. H. G. Oslund of the Tritium Laboratory, University of Miami.

The second database, TRACDAB, contains more than 1000 stratospheric trace gas measurements for the period 1974 to 1983. These samples were collected during Project AIRSTREAM. During the years 1974 to 1976, the samples were analyzed at EML. Subsequently, Washington State University (1976-1979) and the Oregon Graduate Institute for Science & Technology (formerly the Oregon Graduate Center 1980-1983) were under contract to EML to analyze AIRSTREAM gas samples. During the period 1974-1983, 980 gas samples were analyzed for one or more of the following gases CCl₃F, CCl₂F₂, CCl₄, CH₃CCl₃, SF₆, N₂0, CO₂, CH₄, and carbonyl sulfide (COS).

Click here to find out more about the naming of halocarbons (CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, and halons).