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Measurement of Radiocarbon Content in Leaves from Some Japanese Sites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Yasushi Muraki
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Kimiaki Masuda*
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Kh A Arslanov
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan On leave from Geographical Research Institute, St. Petersburg University, Sredniy Prospect 41, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
Hiroaki Toyoizumi
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Masataka Kato
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Yukiko Naruse
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Takuya Murata
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
Tohru Nishiyama
Affiliation:
Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
*
Corresponding author. Email: kmasuda@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
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Abstract

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We have measured radiocarbon contents in leaves collected from 15 sites in Japan, including mountain areas and big city areas for last three years. Comparing the radiocarbon contents in various areas, high 14C concentrations (80–100‰ as δ14C) are seen for the leaves from the mountain and country sites. On the contrary, low concentrations (5–40‰) were observed for the leaves from city region, especially near the road with heavy traffic. These results indicate that the atmosphere of the mountain and country sites in Japan is still clean but the CO2 gas coming from fossil non-radioactive carbon significantly pollutes the atmosphere of the city sites. The value of δ14C for the mountain areas implies that 14C produced by nuclear bomb test in 1960s still remains. The decrease of δ14C at heavy traffic sites in Tokyo is consistent with the increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere assuming that almost all CO2 gas in this region originates from the fossil fuel.

Type
I. Our ‘Dry’ Environment: Above Sea Level
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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