Aerosols Collected at a Tropical Marine Environment: Size-Resolved Chemical Composition Using IC, TOC, and Thermal-Optical Analyses
Abstract
Size-resolved chemical characterization was performed on aerosol samples collected at two different marine sites in the tropics: Dian Point (DP), Antigua and Cape San Juan (CSJ), Puerto Rico. A 13-stage Dekati low- pressure impactor (Dp 0.1 to 10 μm), a 10-stage micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (Dp 0.054 to 18 μm), and stacked-filter units (Dp < 1.7 μm) were used to collect the samples. Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, NO2-, NO3-, SO42-, acetate, formate, malonate, and oxalate were determined using ion chromatography (IC). Thermal-optical analysis (TOA) was used to determine the concentrations of aerosol total carbon (TC), organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC). Five-day back trajectories calculated using NOAA's HYSPLIT (HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model identified air masses coming from the North Atlantic (maritime air), Northwest Africa (desert dust), and North America (anthropogenic pollution). Size-resolved chemical characterization of aerosol samples using IC and TOA confirmed that aerosols become aged as they are transported to the Caribbean and their composition depends on the air mass origin. Gravimetric analyses showed that average fine mass concentrations for CSJ station were higher than for DP station (CSJ: 1.9 μg m-3; DP: 1.2 μg m-3). The aerosol chemical composition changed with air masses of different origin and with different pollution levels. In both locations the predominant water-soluble ions in the fine aerosol fraction were Cl-, Na+, and SO42-. Sulphate was observed in higher concentrations during the polluted case and particulate organic matter concentrations were higher for the maritime case. During desert dust events an increase in Ca2+ and Mg2+ of 4 and 2 times, respectively, was observed mainly in the coarse mode. Results for the size-resolved chemical composition and complete aerosol chemical apportionment including the residual mass will be presented.
- Publication:
-
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUSM.A11B..07M
- Keywords:
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- 0305 Aerosols and particles (0345;
- 4801;
- 4906)