Chlorine 36 dry deposition on lettuce and maize crops

Abstract

Chlorine is a mineral nutrient which, in a certain amount in the form of chloride, is essential for plant development. However, the atmosphere-plant transfer of its radioactive isotope, chlorine-36, is still poorly understood. In this study, dry deposition of ³⁶Cl on lettuce and maize was determined experimentally. These two cultures were carried out downwind of Orano La Hague plant (West of France), which chronically emits small quantities of ³⁶Cl. The dry deposition velocities were similar on these two canopies with mean values of and 1.4 × 10⁻² m s⁻¹ on lettuce and 1.6 × 10⁻² m s⁻¹ on maize crops. The measured deposition fluxes reflect the importance of the dry deposition mechanism on plants, particularly in situations of anthropogenic discharge. All these results will contribute to improving the knowledge on the fate of ³⁶Cl in environment, and particularly in agrosystems.