Elemental composition of atmospheric aerosols collected during episodic air pollution events in Japan

More than 3,000 aerosol samples have been collected since 1986 in Kyoto under various meteorological and environmental conditions, including episodic air pollution events such as heavy air pollution, Kosa dust, very clean air, etc. The elemental concentrations of these aerosol samples were determined by PIXE techniques, and elemental concentration data were used to estimate a source contribution of aerosols by applying a receptor model. The concentrations of Si, K, Ca, Ti and Fe in both coarse and fine fractions increased tremendously at Kosa event. The maximum source contribution of soil dust amounted to 140 μg/m3 for a six hour average during a Kosa event. On the other hand, the concentrations of S, Zn, Pb and Cu in the fine fraction increased remarkably during heavy air pollution and photochemical smog events. (author)