Continuous Radon measurements at High altitude Physics Observatory, Gulmarg, Kashmir valley,J&K.

The data set include 7-day continuous measurement (daily as well as diurnal) of radon-222 gas at 1-hour resolution collected at a high-altitude Physics Observatory at Gulmarg which is situated roughly 55 Km from Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu & Kashmir and lies in the Pir Panjals range of the Himalayas. The longitude and latitude of Gulmarg are 74◦24’E and 34◦03’N with a mean altitude of 2743.2 m. The data was obtained using a scintillation detector (RnDuo Monitor), developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India. The first column (Column A), shows time (in hours) where cell A3 represents 1:00 am, A4 represents 2:00 am and so on. Columns B-H show daily Radon variation while as rows B-H shows the hourly variation of radon measured in Becquerel per cubic metre. Column I shows the average values. Value of the Data: • The Gulmarg High Altitude observatory primarily records meteorological parameters. However, the observatory is also equipped with many other scientific instruments to detect and record various other parameters like particulate matter, atmospheric electricity, seismic activities etc. However, as of now, no data about radon gas is available, the knowledge of which can be instrumental to other researchers working at the observatory. • Radon gas is a known carcinogen (Samet and Eradze, 2000). In fact, it is the first cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and second among smokers (Darby et al., 2005; World Health Organization, 2010). Therefore, the data pertaining to radon concentration, are vital from the epidemiological perspective. • The observatory was recently equipped with an Electric Field Mill (EFM) to measure atmospheric electricity, which is known to be influenced by Radon gas (Chandrashekara et al., 2006; García-Talavera et al., 2001). The data set for radon concentration will definitely serve as a yardstick for this and other such research works.本数据集包含在位于喜马拉雅山脉皮尔潘杰尔区段、距离查谟和克什米尔邦首府斯利那加约55公里的古尔玛格高海拔物理观测站采集的氡-222气体连续7天观测数据，采样分辨率为1小时，涵盖日尺度与逐时尺度的变化特征。该观测站的经纬度为东经74°24′、北纬34°03′，平均海拔2743.2米。本数据集采用印度孟买巴巴原子能研究中心（Bhabha Atomic Research Centre）研发的闪烁探测器（scintillation detector，RnDuo Monitor）获取。 数据集第一列（A列）为时间（单位：小时），其中A3单元格对应凌晨1:00，A4单元格对应凌晨2:00，依此类推；B至H列展示逐日氡气浓度变化，B至H行则展示以贝可/立方米（Becquerel per cubic metre）为单位的逐时氡气浓度测量值；第I列为各时刻的平均浓度值。 本数据集的应用价值如下： 1. 古尔玛格高海拔观测站主要记录气象参数，同时配备了多种其他科学仪器，可检测并记录颗粒物、大气电学特性、地震活动等多项环境与地球物理参数，但目前尚无公开的氡气观测数据，该数据集可为该观测站的其他研究人员提供关键参考依据。 2. 氡气是已知的致癌物（Samet与Eradze，2000），其为非吸烟者肺癌的首要致病因素，也是吸烟者肺癌的第二大致病因素（Darby等，2005；世界卫生组织，2010），因此该氡气浓度数据从流行病学研究视角而言具有重要价值。 3. 该观测站近期新增了用于测量大气电学特性的电场磨（Electric Field Mill, EFM），已有研究表明大气电学特性会受到氡气的影响（Chandrashekara等，2006；García-Talavera等，2001），本氡气浓度数据集可为该类及其他相关研究工作提供重要的基准参照。