Simulation of radon-222 with the GEOS-Chem global model: Emissions, seasonality, and convective transport

Abstract. Radon-222 (222Rn) is a short-lived radioactive gas naturally emitted from land surfaces, and has long been used to assess convective transport in atmospheric models. In this study, we simulate 222Rn using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to improve our understanding of 222Rn emissions and surface concentration seasonality, and characterize convective transport associated with two Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) meteorological products, MERRA and GEOS-FP. We evaluate four global 222Rn emission scenarios by comparing model results with observations at 51 surface sites. The default emission scenario in GEOS-Chem yields a moderate agreement with surface observations globally (  80 % data within a factor of 2), and reasonable agreement in Asia (close to 70 %). Further constraints on 222Rn emissions would require additional concentration and emission flux observations in the central U.S., Canada, Africa, and Asia. We also compare and assess convective transport in model simulations driven by MERRA and GEOS-FP using observed 222Rn vertical profiles in northern mid-latitude summer, and from three short-term airborne campaigns. While simulations with both GEOS products are able to capture the observed vertical gradient of 222Rn concentrations in the lower troposphere (0–4 km), neither correctly represents the level of convective detrainment, resulting in biases in the middle and upper troposphere. Compared with GEOS-FP, MERRA leads to stronger convective transport of 222Rn, which is partially compensated by its weaker large-scale vertical advection, resulting in similar global vertical distributions of 222Rn concentrations between the two simulations. This has important implications for using chemical transport models to interpret the transport of other trace species when these GEOS products are used as driving meteorology.