Robert Leifer and Nita Chan, U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML)

DB1019 (1997)

In recent years there have been requests from the atmospheric modeling community for a complete computer database of all stratospheric and upper tropospheric radioactivity measurements. Until now a usable database covering the vast number of measurements of radionuclides in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, made between 1957-1993, did not exist. Almost 50% of the data in this database is published in reports that are not readily available to the scientific community or not in a form that can be used easily. These data are useful for development and verification of large-scale transport models, climate models that include, tropospheric and stratospheric transport processes, and models of the future atmospheric impact of a projected new fleet of aircraft that fly in the stratosphere.

To this end, EML has completed phase one of the stratospheric radionuclide database (RANDAB) program. The RANDAB represents the world's largest collection of stratospheric and upper tropospheric radionuclide data ever compiled for computer analysis. These data represent measurements obtained from Projects ASHCAN, STARDUST, AIRSTREAM, and the High Altitude Sampling Program (HASP) for the years 1957 through 1983. More than 20,000 filters were collected during this period and analyzed for up to 40 different radionuclides. All the available data associated with each filter are included in the database.

Because of the lack of filter identification numbers, a separate database of plutonium isotopic ratio data for the years 1959 thru 1970 was formed. This database contains more than 500 samples.

In addition to the radionuclide database, EML's stratospheric database of trace gases (TRACDAB), collected during Project AIRSTREAM has been completed and is presently available through EML. This database contains information on more than 1000 samples. Each sample was analyzed for one or more of the following gases: trichlorofluoromethane (CCl₃F), dichlorofluoromethane (CCl₂F₂), carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄), nitrousoxide (N₂O), sulfur hixafluoride (SF₆), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), methylchloroform (CH₃CCl₃), and carbonylsulfide (COS).

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kng 05/98