Radon Variability as a Result of Interaction with the Environment

Abstract

Recent years have seen increased attention given to radon from two scientific directions. After neglecting radon as an earthquake precursor in the 1990s, it has become the subject of discussions in earthquake-forecast papers due to growing networks of radon monitoring in different countries, particularly the technologies of real-time radon measurements where gamma spectrometers are of great interest as sources of 222Rn identification. The second fast-developing direction involves radon in Lithosphere–Atmosphere–Ionosphere Coupling (LAIC) models as a source of boundary layer ionization. Here we address the second topic, which is not connected with the earthquake forecast problems, namely, the role of air ionization by radon as a source of the Global Electric Circuit (GEC) modification. In this publication, we try to unite all of these problems to present a more complex view of radon as an important element in our environment. Special attention is paid to the dependence of radon variability on environmental conditions.

Keywords

• radon
• air ionization
• global electric circuit
• gamma spectrometer