Trace elements and individual particle analysis of atmospheric aerosols from the Antarctic peninsula

Atmospheric aerosols were sampled continuously since December 1985 at the Brazilian Antarctic Station ‘Comandante Ferraz’ (62°05′S; 58°23.5′W) on the King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Stacked Filter Units (SFU) were used to collect fine ( d p  10 was measured by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. This yielded data for the concentration of 23 elements: Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, CI, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr and Pb. The fine and coarse aerosol mass concentration was determined by gravimetric analysis. Absolute principal factor analysis (APFA) was used to obtain the aerosol elemental source profiles. Non-sea-salt sulphate showed a clear seasonal pattern, with minimum during wintertime. For summer and wintertime coarse particles, only two factors were significant, with the first having high loadings for Na, Mg, Cl, S, Sr, K, Ca, and the coarse particle mass concentration (representing sea-salt aerosol). The second factor had high loadings for Al, Si, Fe, Ti, and Ca (soil dust aerosol). For the fine mode particles three factors were differentiated, and they represented sea-salt aerosol, soil dust and sulphates. The sea-salt source profile agreed with the average sea-water elemental composition to within 20% for the elements Na, Mg, S, Cl, K, Ca and Br. The source apportionment for the coarse particle mass concentration (CPM) revealed that 86 to 89% of the CPM is accounted for by the sea-salt aerosol component, and 3.2 to 6.8% by soil dust and that 7.6 to 8.1% of the CPM could not be apportioned. For the fine particle mass concentration (FPM), sea-salt aerosol accounted for 60%, sulphates for 24 to 31%, soil dust for only 0.5 to 1.3%. The concentration of some trace elements like Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb appeared too high, maybe due to long range transport of polluted air masses, or regional air pollution sources in the Antarctic peninsula. These data were not used in the calculations. Individual particle analysis by Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis (EPMA) showed a variety of particle types. The 17708 particles from 35 fine mode samples could be clustered in 9 groups: NaCl, CaSO 4 , CaSO 4 + NaCl, CaSO 4 + MgCl 2 , S, Si + NaCl, soil dust, MgCl 2 , pure Si. A significant number of NaCl and MgCl 2 particles showed small amounts of sulfur, possibly indicating reactions of these particles with gaseous sulfur compounds. Internal mixtures of silicates and marine aerosol particles were observed. Most of the sulfur in particles larger than 0.1 µm was in the form of CaSO 4 , and the abundance of these particles showed a seasonal variability with maximum in summer. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1992.00010.x

[1]  R. Grieken,et al.  Chemical characterization and source apportionment of individual aerosol particles over the North Sea and the English Channel using multivariate techniques , 1991 .

[2]  P. Buseck,et al.  Aerosol particle characteristics determined by combined cluster and principal component analysis , 1991 .

[3]  R. Larsen,et al.  Impact of oceanic sources of biogenic sulphur on sulphate aerosol concentrations at Mawson, Antarctica , 1991, Nature.

[4]  A. L. Dick,et al.  Summertime aerosol measurements in the ross sea region of Antarctica , 1991 .

[5]  J. W. Fitzgerald,et al.  Marine aerosols: A review , 1991 .

[6]  J. Galloway,et al.  Heterogeneous sulfur conversion in sea-salt aerosol particles: the role of aerosol water content and size distribution , 1991 .

[7]  R. Duce,et al.  Concentrations, sources, and fluxes of trace elements in the remote marine atmosphere of New Zealand , 1990 .

[8]  R. Marks.  Preliminary investigations on the influence of rain on the production, concentration, and vertical distribution of sea salt aerosol , 1990 .

[9]  Malgorzata Stramska,et al.  Bubble‐mediated aerosol production as a consequence of wave breaking in supersaturated (hyperoxic) seawater , 1990 .

[10]  P. Artaxo,et al.  Aerosol characteristics and sources for the Amazon Basin during the wet season , 1990 .

[11]  P. Artaxo,et al.  Trace elements and receptor modelling of aerosols in the antarctic peninsula , 1990 .

[12]  M. Andreae,et al.  Airborne measurements of dimethylsulfide, sulfur dioxide, and aerosol ions over the Southern Ocean South of Australia , 1990 .

[13]  F. Parungo,et al.  Chemistry of marine aerosols over the western Pacific Ocean , 1990 .

[14]  E. Pereira.  Radon-222 time series measurements in the Antarctic peninsula (1986–1987) , 1990 .

[15]  W. Maenhaut,et al.  Sources and characteristics of the atmospheric aerosol near Damascus, Syria , 1990 .

[16]  T. Bates,et al.  Oceanic dimethylsulfide and marine aerosol: Difficulties associated with assessing their covariance , 1989 .

[17]  W. Zoller,et al.  Temporal variations and sources of elements in the South Pole atmosphere: 1. Nonenriched and moderately enriched elements , 1989 .

[18]  J. Galloway,et al.  A study of the sulfur cycle in the Antarctic marine boundary layer , 1989 .

[19]  J. Prospero,et al.  Comparison of oceanic and continental sources of non-sea-salt sulphate over the Pacific Ocean , 1989, Nature.

[20]  M. Andreae,et al.  Distribution of Biogenic Sulfur Compounds in the Remote Southern Hemisphere , 1989 .

[21]  J. Prospero,et al.  Non-sea-salt sulfate and nitrate in trade wind aerosols at Barbados: Evidence for long-range transport , 1989 .

[22]  T. G. Dzubay,et al.  Use of electron microscopy data in receptor models for PM-10 , 1989 .

[23]  E. Wolff,et al.  Heavy metal and sulphur emissions to the atmosphere from human activities in Antarctica , 1989 .

[24]  S. Schwartz.  Are global cloud albedo and climate controlled by marine phytoplankton? , 1988, Nature.

[25]  D. Wagenbach,et al.  Coastal Antarctic aerosol: the seasonal pattern of its chemical composition and radionuclide content , 1988 .

[26]  P. Buseck,et al.  Chemistry of individual aerosol particles from Chandler, Arizona, an arid urban environment. , 1988, Environmental science & technology.

[27]  P. Artaxo,et al.  Composition and sources of aerosols from the Amazon Basin , 1988 .

[28]  R. Gordon,et al.  Northeast Pacific iron distributions in relation to phytoplankton productivity , 1988 .

[29]  R. Grieken,et al.  Characterization of North-Sea aerosols by individual particle analyses , 1988 .

[30]  W. V. Borm,et al.  Cluster analysis of electron microprobe analysis data of individual particles for source apportionment of air particulate matter , 1988 .

[31]  John L. Campbell,et al.  PIXE: A Novel Technique for Elemental Analysis , 1988 .

[32]  R. Duce,et al.  Trace elements in the atmosphere of American Samoa: Concentrations and deposition to the tropical South Pacific , 1987 .

[33]  A. Clarke,et al.  The Pacific marine aerosol: Evidence for natural acid sulfates , 1987 .

[34]  P. Artaxo,et al.  PIXE and receptor models applied to remote aerosol source apportionment in Brazil , 1987 .

[35]  Meinrat O. Andreae,et al.  PIXE analysis of marine aerosol samples: Accuracy and artifacts , 1987 .

[36]  May S. Liu,et al.  The sulfur cycle in the marine atmosphere , 1987 .

[37]  R. Duce.  THE IMPACT OF ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, AND IRON SPECIES ON , 1986 .

[38]  M. Andreae,et al.  Internal Mixture of Sea Salt, Silicates, and Excess Sulfate in Marine Aerosols , 1986, Science.

[39]  James N. Galloway,et al.  Sea‐salt corrections and interpretation of constituent ratios in marine precipitation , 1986 .

[40]  P. D. Houmere,et al.  Dimethyl sulfide in the marine atmosphere , 1985 .

[41]  J. Prospero,et al.  Particulate sulfate and nitrate in the boundary layer over the North Pacific Ocean , 1985 .

[42]  T. Ito.  Study of background aerosols in the Antarctic troposphere , 1985 .

[43]  R. Duce,et al.  Atmospheric trace elements at Enewetak Atoll: 2. Transport to the ocean by wet and dry deposition , 1985 .

[44]  D. Blanchard.  The oceanic production of atmospheric sea salt , 1985 .

[45]  P. Hopke.  Receptor modeling in environmental chemistry , 1985 .

[46]  A. L. Dick,et al.  Trace Elements in Antarctic Air and Snowfall , 1985, Annals of Glaciology.

[47]  John D. Spengler,et al.  A QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS TO INHALABLE PARTICULATE MATTER POLLUTION IN METROPOLITAN BOSTON , 1985 .

[48]  J. L. Fasching,et al.  Estimates of the transport of trace metals from the ocean to the atmosphere , 1984 .

[49]  U. Wätjen,et al.  On the problem of sulfur losses during PIXE analysis , 1984 .

[50]  U. Wätjen,et al.  Large scale intercomparison of aerosol trace element analysis by different analytical methods , 1984 .

[51]  R. Grieken,et al.  Electron microprobe observations on recrystallization affecting pixe-analysis of marine aerosol deposits , 1984 .

[52]  W. Maenhaut,et al.  Accurate calibration of a Si(Li) detector for PIXE analysis , 1984 .

[53]  Gary S. Casuccio,et al.  The Use of Computer Controlled Scanning Electron Microscopy in Environmental Studies , 1983 .

[54]  M. Andreae,et al.  Dimethyl Sulfide in the Surface Ocean and the Marine Atmosphere: A Global View , 1983, Science.

[55]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  Characterization of the atmospheric aerosol over the eastern equatorial Pacific , 1983 .

[56]  S. Hering,et al.  Characteristics of Nuclepore filters with large pore size—II. Filtration properties , 1983 .

[57]  U. Wätjen,et al.  Pixe analysis of high-volume aerosol samples and intercomparison of results with different analytical methods , 1983 .

[58]  J. Eastman,et al.  Air-sea particle exchange at a nearshore oceanic site , 1982 .

[59]  M. Kritz.  Exchange of sulfur between the free troposphere, marine boundary layer, and the sea surface , 1982 .

[60]  D. Peel,et al.  Recent Variations in Heavy Metal Concentrations in Firn and Air From the Antarctic Peninsula , 1982, Annals of Glaciology.

[61]  N. Z. Heidam.  Atmospheric aerosol factor models, mass and missing data , 1982 .

[62]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  PIXE analysis of aerosol samples collected over the atlantic ocean from a sailboat , 1981 .

[63]  B. A. Bodhaine,et al.  Seasonal variation in antarctic aerosol , 1981 .

[64]  W. Zoller,et al.  The chemical composition of remote area aerosols , 1981 .

[65]  H. Eugster,et al.  Evaporation of Seawater: Calculated Mineral Sequences , 1980, Science.

[66]  A. H. Woodcock,et al.  THE PRODUCTION, CONCENTRATION, AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE SEA‐SALT AEROSOL * , 1980 .

[67]  Glenn E. Shaw,et al.  Optical, chemical and physical properties of aerosols over the antarctic ice sheet , 1980 .

[68]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  Atmospheric Sulfur Aerosol Concentrations and Characteristics from the South American Continent , 1979, Science.

[69]  W. Maenhaut,et al.  Concentration and size distribution of particulate trace elements in the south polar atmosphere , 1979 .

[70]  W. D. Scott,et al.  Copper in Aerosol Particles Produced by the Ocean , 1978, Science.

[71]  R. F. Lovett,et al.  Quantitative measurement of airborne sea‐salt in the North Atlantic , 1978 .

[72]  J. W. Winchester,et al.  Sulfur and trace element concentration relationships in aerosols from the South American continent , 1978 .

[73]  E. Mészáros.  Concentration of sulfur compounds in remote continental and oceanic areas , 1978 .

[74]  J. P. Bell,et al.  A two stage respirable aerosol sampler using nuclepore filters in series. , 1977, Atmospheric environment.

[75]  R. Duce,et al.  Atmospheric Concentrations and Sources of Trace Metals at the South Pole , 1974, Science.

[76]  Á. Mészáros,et al.  Concentration, size distribution and chemical nature of atmospheric aerosol particles in remote oceanic areas , 1974 .

[77]  R. Chester,et al.  Introduction to marine chemistry , 1971 .

[78]  H. W. Wellman,et al.  Salts on Sea Ice in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica , 1963, Nature.

[79]  A. H. Woodcock,et al.  Bubble Formation and Modification in the Sea and its Meteorological Significance , 1957 .