Trace Elements in Aerosol over the Grand Canyon and Canyonlands National Parks

Daily samples of total suspended particulates were collected from two national parks, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ, and Canyonlands National Park, UT, in the summer (July) and winter (December-January) of 2001. Trace element and major ion concentrations were determined for source attribution studies. The concentrations of most elements agreed within a factor of two for the two sites. However, for the summer samples, preliminary results indicate that some pollution-derived elements such as Cu, Ag, Hg, Zn, and Pb had higher concentrations and enrichment factors at the Grand Canyon, suggesting impacts from nonferrous combustion source(s) in the area. Additional information, including meteorological data, will be used to help identify these sources.