Cosmogenic 10Be/7Be as a probe of atmospheric transport processes

Using accelerator spectrometry to measure 10Be, the ratio of the cosmogenic isotopes 10Be/7Be has been determined in 5 stratospheric and 2 South Pole ground level air filters. It is argued that this ratio can be a very sensitive probe of the origin, residence time, and mixing patterns of different atmospheric air masses, and in particular for identifying incursions of stratospheric air into the troposphere.