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Radionuclide inventories were measured in soils from different French mountainous areas: Chaıˆne des Puys (Massif Central), Eastern Corsica, Jura, Montagne Noire, Savoie, Vosges and Rhine Valley. 210 Pb soil inventories were used to estimate long-term (475 yr) deposition of submicron aerosols. Whereas 210 Pb total deposition is explained partly by wet deposition, as demonstrated by increase of 210 Pb inventory with annual rainfall; a part of 210 Pb in the soils of higher altitude is caused by orographic depositions. Using measurements of radionuclides coming from nuclear aerial weapon tests ( 137 Cs and Pu isotopes), we were able to estimate the origin of aerosols deposited in high-altitude sites and to confirm the importance of occult deposition and feeder-seeder mechanism. Using a simple mass balance model, we estimate that occult deposition and feeder-seeder mechanisms account to more than 50% of total deposition of 210 Pb and associated submicron aerosols in French altitude sites.

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