Radiation environment in high-altitude Antarctic plateau: Recent measurements and model studies

0574009 - ÚJF 2024 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Mishev, A. L. - Kodaira, S. - Kitamura, H. - Ploc, Ondřej - Ambrožová, Iva - Tolochek, R. V. - Kartsev, I. S. - Shurshakov, V. A. - Artamonov, A. A. - Inozemtsev, K. O.
Radiation environment in high-altitude Antarctic plateau: Recent measurements and model studies.
Science of the Total Environment. Roč. 890, SEP (2023), č. článku 164304. ISSN 0048-9697. E-ISSN 1879-1026
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT EF15_003/0000481
Institutional support: RVO:61389005
Keywords : Antarctica * Personnel dosimetry * Passive detectors * Liulin dosimeter * High altitudes * Cosmic rays * Natural radiation background * Ground -level enhancement
OECD category: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)
Impact factor: 9.8, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164304

Polar regions are the most exposed to secondary particles and radiation produced by primary cosmic rays in the atmo-sphere, because naturally they are with marginal geomagnetic shielding. In addition, the secondary particle flux con-tributing to the complex radiation field is enhanced at high-mountain altitudes compared to sea level because of the reduced atmospheric attenuation. At present, there are very few systematic experimental measurements of environmental dose at high southern latitudes, specifically at high-altitude region. Here, we report a campaign of mea-surements with different devices, that is passive and Liulin-type dosimeters, of the radiation background at high -mountain Antarctic station Vostok (3488 m above sea level, 78 & DEG, 27 & PRIME, S, 106 & DEG, 50 & PRIME, E). We compare the measurements with a Monte Carlo-based model for the propagation of the cosmic rays through the atmosphere and assessment of the radiation field in the atmosphere. We employed the model to estimate the radiation dose at Vostok station during the ground-level enhancement at 28 October 2021. As in previous studies by other teams, we show that the annual dose equivalent at high-altitude Antarctic facilities can significantly exceed the limit of 1 mSv established for the gen-eral population by the ICRP.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0344377