Atmospheric deposition of 7Be and 10Be in New Zealand rain (1996-98)

Beryllium isotope concentrations were determined in monthly rainfall collections at three sites across New Zealand (36 to 45° S), from October 1996 to November 1998. At the northern sites of Leigh (near Auckland) and Gracefield (near Wellington), 7Be and 10Be concentrations are relatively constant at 1.2 to 1.4 × 107 atoms kg-1 rain and 2.1 to 2.6 × 107 atoms kg-1 rain, respectively. These concentrations correspond to annual flux rates of ~15 and ~27 × 109 atoms m-2 y-1, respectively. At the southern site of Dunedin, concentrations are similar to those at the northern sites, but flux rates are significantly lower at ~ 9 and ~19 × 109 atoms m-2 y-1, respectively, because of lower average rainfall east of the Southern Alps mountain range. These results are broadly similar to those reported by Brown et al. (1989) and Knies et al. (1994) for rain from midlatitude sites in the USA sampled from 1986 to 1994. Mean 7Be/10Be ratios for New Zealand (0.47 to 0.61) are, however, significantly lower than for the USA (0.69 to 0.78), due in part to the addition of 10Be from re-suspended dust. Subtraction of the dust component increases the New Zealand 7Be/10Be ratios to 0.70 (Leigh), 0.65 (Gracefield) and 0.50 (Dunedin). The adjusted results provide evidence for transfer of older stratospheric air to the troposphere in late-spring-summer, an effect which is strongest in the north. The overall reduction of 7Be/10Be from north to south implies an increase in residence time from ~ 80 to ~100 d for Be isotopes in the atmosphere above New Zealand.