Effect of Stomatal Opening on the Transfer of 131I2 from Air to Grass

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Abstract
The effect of stomatal opening on the air-to-grass transfer of molecular iodine gas (I2) was studied in a small environmental chamber with an airflow rate of about 1 m/sec above the grass. Measured stomatal densities and stomatal areas were used to determine the per cent of Bromegrass leaf area composed of stomatal openings (As). The transfer parameter Pt(g−1) (analogous to the normalized transfer velocity) was found to be directly dependent upon stomatal opening as measured by As: Pt = 2.21 × 10−4 + (4.60 × 10−4) As. The maximum value of Pt observed was 5.43 × 10−4 g−1 or 2.4 times that observed for As = about 0. This proportionality to pore area is in agreement with measured diffusion rates through perforated metal screens. It was also found that Bromegrass is far from a “perfect sink” for sorption of 131I2 a fact which must be considered in the development of models of radioiodine transfer. Retention of radioiodine by contaminated foliage is dependent on the radioiodine transfer process and the implications of the current results are indicated.

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