摘要 : Two-point radon gradients provide a direct, unambiguous measure of near-surface atmospheric mixing. A 31-month data set of hourly radon measurements at 2 and 50 m is used to characterize the seasonality and diurnal variability of ... 展开 Two-point radon gradients provide a direct, unambiguous measure of near-surface atmospheric mixing. A 31-month data set of hourly radon measurements at 2 and 50 m is used to characterize the seasonality and diurnal variability of radon concentrations and gradients at a site near Sydney. Vertical differencing allows separation of remote (fetchrelated) effects on measured radon concentrations from those due to diurnal variations in the strength and extent of vertical mixing. Diurnal composites, grouped according to the maximum nocturnal radon gradient (C_(max)), reveal strong connections between radon, wind, temperature and mixing depth on subdiurnal timescales. Comparison of the bulk Richardson Number (Ri_B) and the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) with the radon-derived bulk diffusivity (K_B) helps to elucidate the relationship between thermal stability, turbulence intensity and the resultant mixing. On nights with large C_(max), K_B and TKE levels are low and RiB is well above the ‘critical’ value. Conversely, when C_(max) is small, K-B and TKE levels are high and RiB is near zero. For intermediate C_(max), however, Ri_B remains small whereas TKE and K_B both indicate significantly reduced mixing. The relationship between stability and turbulence is therefore non-linear, with even mildly stable conditions being sufficient to suppress mixing. 收起