Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Size Distribution of Trace Elements and Major Ions in the Eastern Mediterranean Atmosphere

  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Size distribution of trace elements is measured at the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, by analyzing hi-vol impactor samples collected between August 1993 and May 1994. Mass median diameters of marine elements are between 4.6 and 5.3 μm, and those of crustal elements are between 3.0 and 3.5 μm. Mass median diameters of crustal elements are 30% smaller in samples impacted by Saharan Dust. Pollution derived elements, As, Cd, Mo, Pb, Se, and Zn have MMD's between 1.25 and 1.01 μm. Although 70–90% of the masses of these elements were associated with particles smaller than 2.1 μm, 10–30% of their mass was associated with coarse particles. Coarse component in concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb and particulate Hg are due to adsorption of fine anthropogenic particles on coarse crustal aerosol, whereas coarse fraction Zn, As, Se, In, Mo and Au are crustal at Al concentrations > 100 ng m−3. Bromine, Cr, Ni, and V have bimodal distributions. The fine component, which account for approximately 30–40% of their masses are due to anthropogenic sources, whereas the coarse component, which accounts for 30–50% of their masses are due to sea salt for Br, and crustal particles for Cr, Ni, and V.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al Momani, I. F.: 1995, ‘The long range atmospheric transport of pollutants to the Easten Mediterranean basin’, Ph.D. Thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

  • Al-Momani, I. F., Ataman, O. Y., Anwari, M. A., Tuncel, S., Köse, C. and Tuncel, G.: 1995, ‘Chemical composition of precipitation near an industrial area at İzmir, Turkey’, Atmospheric Environment 29, 1131–1144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Momani, I. F., Aygun, S. and Tuncel, G.: 1998, ‘Wet deposition of major ions and trace elements in the eastern Mediterranean basin’, Journal of Geophysical Research 103, 8287–8299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amouroux, D. and Donard, O. F. X.: 1996, ‘Maritime emission of selenium to the atmosphere in eastern mediterranean seas’, Geophysical Research Letters 23, 1777–1780.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arimoto, R., Duce, R. A., Ray, B. J. and Unni, C. K.: 1985, ‘Atmospheric trace elements at Enewetak Atoll: 2. Transport to the ocean by wet and dry depositions’, Journal of Geophysical Research 90, 2391–2408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bardouki, H., Liakakou, H., Economou, C., Sciare, J., Smolík, J., Zdimal, V., Eleftheriadis, K., Lazaridis, M., Dye, C. and Mihalopoulos, N.: 2003, ‘Chemical composition of size-resolved atmospheric aerosols in the eastern Mediterranean during summer and winter’, Atmospheric Environment 37, 195–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beavington, F., Cawse, P. A. and Wakenshaw, A.: 2004, ‘Comparative studies of atmospheric trace elements: Improvements in air quality near a copper smelter’, Science of The Total Environment 332, 39–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berg, W. W., Perry, P. D., Rahn, K. A. and Gladney, E. S.: 1983, ‘Atmospheric bromine in the Arctic’, Journal of Geophysical Research 88, 6719–6736.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergametti, G., Dutot, A. L., Buart-Menard, P., Losno, R. and Remoudaki, E.: 1989, ‘Seasonal variability of elemental composition of atmospheric aerosol particles over the Northwestern Mediterranean’, Tellus 41B, 353–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bilos, C., Colombo, J. C., Skorupka, C. N. and Presa, M. J. R.: 2001, ‘Sources, distribution and variability of airborne trace metals in La Plata City area, Argentina’, Environmental Pollution 111, 149–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchard, D. C.: 1985, ‘The oceanic production of atmospheric sea salt’, Journal of Geophysical Research 90, 961–963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braga, C. F., Teixeira, E. C., Yoneama, M. L. and Dias, J. F.: 2004, ‘Study of the elemental composition of aerosols in the Candiota region of Brazil using the PIXE technique’, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 225, 561–571.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buat-Menard, P. and Duce, R. A.: 1986, ‘Precipitation scavenging of aerosol particles over the remote marine regions’, Nature 321, 508–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cambray, R. S., Jefferies, D. F. and Topping, G.: 1979, ‘Atmospheric input of trace elements to the North Sea’, Mar. Sci. Commun. 5, 197–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chester, R., Baxter, G. G., Behairy, A. K., Connor, K. A., Cross, D., Elderfield, H. and Padgham, R. C.: 1977, ‘Soil sized eolian dusts from the lower troposphere of the eastern Mediterranean’, Marine Geology 24, 201–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chester, R., Nimmo, M., Alarcon, M., Saydam, C., Murphy, K. J. T., Sanders, G. S. and Corcoran, P.: 1993, ‘Defining the chemical character of aerosols from the atmosphere of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding regions’, Oceanologica Acta 16, 231–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Church, T. M. and Scudlark, J. R.: 1992, ‘Trace elements in precipitation at the Middle-Atlantic Coast. A successful record since 1982’, US Forest Service Report NC-150, pp. 45–46, Phileadelphia.

  • Clarke, A. D., Ahlquist, N. C. and Covert, D. S.: 1987, ‘The pacific marine aerosol: Evidence for natural acid sulfates’, Journal of Geophysical Research 92, 4179–4190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Covert, D. S.: 1988, ‘North Pacific marine background aerosol: Average ammonium to sulfate molar ratio equals 1’, Journal of Geophysical Research 93, 8455–8458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dentener, F. J., Carmichael, G. R., Zhang, Y., Lelieveld, J. and Crutzen, P. J.: 1996, ‘Role of mineral aerosol as a reactive surface in the global troposphere’, Journal of Geophysical Research 101, 22869–22889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Despiau, S., Cougnenc, S. and Resch, F.: 1996, ‘Concentrations and size distributions of aerosol particles in coastal zone’, Journal of Aerosol Science 27, 403–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duce, R. A., Arimoto, R., Ray, B. J., Unni, C. K. and Harder, P. J.: 1983, ‘Atmospheric trace elements at Enewatak Atoll: 1, concentrations, sources and temporal variations’, Journal of Geophysical Research 88, 5321–5342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dulac, F., Buart-Menard, P., Arnold, M., Ezat, U. and Martin, D.: 1987, ‘Atmospheric input of trace metals to the western Mediterranean Sea: 1. Factors controlling the variability of atmospheric concentrations’, Journal of Geophysical Research 92, 8437–8453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dulac, F., Buart Menard, P., Ezat, U., Melki, S. and Begametti, G.: 1989, ‘Atmospheric input of trace metals to the western Mediterranean: Uncertainties in modeling and dry deposition from cascade impactor data’, Tellus 41B, 362–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dulac, F., Tanre, D., Bergametti, G., Buat-Menard, P., Desbois, M. and Sutton, D.: 1992, ‘Assessment of the African airborne dust mass over the Western Mediterranean Sea using Meteosat data’, Journal of Geophysical Research 97, 2489–2506.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganor, E., Foner, H. A., Bingemer, H. G., Udisti, R. and Seter, I.: 2000, ‘Biogenic sulphate generation in the Mediterranean Sea and its contribution to the sulphate anomaly in the aerosol over Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean’, Atmospheric Environment 34, 3453–3462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Y., Nelson, E. D., Field, M. P., Ding, Q., Li, H., Sherrell, R. M., Gigliotti, C. L., Van Ry, D. A., Glenn, T. R. and Eisenreich, S. J.: 2002, ‘Characterization of atmospheric trace elements on PM2.5 particulate matter over the New York–New Jersey harbor estuary’, Atmospheric Environment 36, 1077–1086.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia, J. L. I. and Munoz, B. E. L.: 2002, ‘Bromine determination by neutron activation analysis and its distribution in the atmosphere’, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 253, 531–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GESAMP-International Maritime Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization/United Na- tions Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization/World Meteorological Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency/United Nations/United Nations Environment Program Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP): 1985 Atmospheric transport of contaminants into the Mediterranean region, UNEP Reg. Seas Rep. 68, 216 pp.

  • Goldberg, E. D.: 1963, ‘The ocean as a chemical system’, in M. N. Hill (ed.), The Sea, Vol. 2, Ch. 1, Interscience, New York.

  • Gordon, G. E.: 1980, ‘Receptor models’, Environmental Science and Technology 14, 792–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, B., Falkovich, A. H., Rudich, Y., Maenhaut, W., Guyon, P. and Andreae, M. O.: 2004, ‘Local and regional contributions to the atmospheric aerosol over Tel Aviv, Israel: A case study using elemental, ionic and organic tracers’, Atmospheric Environment 38, 1593–1604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guerzoni, S., Quarantotto, G. and Cesari, G.: 1996, ‘Trace metal composition and grain size of particulates in aerosols and precipitation collected in NW Mediterranean (39N, 9E): A multivariate analysis’, in R. Chester, S. Guerzoni (eds.), The Impact of African Dust Across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 333–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guerzoni, S., Chester, C., Dulac, F., Herut, B., Loye-Pilot, M., Measures, C., Migon, M., Molinaroli, M., Moulin, C., Rossini, P., Saydam, C., Soudine, A. and Ziveri, P.: 1999, ‘The role of atmospheric deposition in the biogeochemistry of the Mediterranean Sea’, Progress in Oceanography 44, 147–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guieu, C., Duce, R. and Arimoto, R.: 1994, ‘Dissolved input of Manganese to the ocean: Aerosol source’, Journal of Geophysical Research 99, 18789–18800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gullu, G.: 1996, ‘Long range transport of aerosols’, Ph.D Thesis, Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University.

  • Gullu, G. H., Olmez, I. and Tuncel, G.: 1996, ‘Chemical concentrations and elements size distributions of aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean during strong dust storms’, in R. Chester, S. Guerzoni (eds.), The Impact of African Dust Across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 339–347.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gullu, G., Olmez, I., Aygun, S. and Tuncel, G.: 1998, ‘Atmospheric trace element concentrations over the Eastern Mediterranean sea: Factors affecting temporal variability’, Journal of Geophysical Research 103, 21943–21954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gullu, G. H., Ölmez, I. and Tuncel, G.: 2000, ‘Temporal variability of atmospheric trace element concentrations over the eastern Mediterranean Sea’, Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy 55, 1133–1148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Güvenç, N.: 1998, ‘Investigation of soil pollution in the city of Antalya’, M.Sc. Thesis, Department of Environmental engineering, Middle East Technical University.

  • Hacisalihoglu, G., Eliyakut, F., Balkas, T. I. and Tuncel, G.: 1992, ‘Chemical composition of particles in the Black Sea aerosols’, Atmospheric Environment 26, 3207–3218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Han, J. S., Moon, K. J., Ryu, S. Y., Kim, Y. J. and Perry, K. D.: 2005, ‘Source estimation of anthropogenic aerosols collected by a DRUM sampler during spring of 2002 at Gosan, Korea’, Atmospheric Environment 39, 3113–3125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havranek, V., Maenhaut, W., Ducastel, G. and Hanssen, J. E.: 1996, ‘Mass size distributions for atmospheric trace elements at the Zeppelin background station in NY Alesund, Spitsbergen’, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research 109, 465–470.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holsen, T. M., Noll, K. E., Fang, G. C., Lee, W. J., Lin, J. M. and Keeler, G. J.: 1993, ‘Dry deposition and particle size distributions measured during the Lake Michigan Urban Air Toxics study’, Environmental Science & Technology 27, 1327–1333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jernigan, E. L., Ray, B. L. and Duce, R. A.: 1971, ‘Lead and bromine in the atmospheric particulate matter on Oahu, Hawaii’, Atmospheric Environment 5, 881–893.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jickells, T. D.: 1998, ‘Nutrient biogeochemistry of the coastal zone’, Science 281, 217–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karakas, D., Olmez, I. and Tuncel, G.: 2002, ‘Application of ion chromatography, nuclear and spectrochemical techniques for trace and major element determination in seaside aerosols’, International Journal of Environmental & Analytical Chemistry 82, 705–720.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karakas, D., Olmez, I., Tosun, S. and Tuncel, G.: 2004, ‘Trace element composition of Black Sea aerosols’, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 159, 187–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasahara, M., Park, J. H. and Yamamoto, K.: 1996, ‘Characterisation of atmospheric aerosols separated by particle size and water solubility using PIXE analysis’, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics 118, 400–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kouvarakis, G. and Mihalopoulos, N.: 2002, ‘Seasonal variation of dimethylsulfide in the gas phase and of methanesulfonate and non-sea-salt sulfate in the aerosols phase in the Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere’, Atmospheric Environment 36, 929–938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kouvarakis, G., Bardouki, H. and Mihalopoulos, N.: 2002, ‘Sulfur budget above the Eastern Mediterranean: Relative contribution of anthropogenic and biogenic sources’, Tellus B, 54, 201–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubilay, N. and Saydam, C.: 1995, ‘Trace elements in atmospheric particulates over the Eastern Mediterranean; concentrations sources and temporal variability’, Atmospheric Environment 29, 2289–2300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubilay, N., Kocak, M., Cokacar, T., Oguz, T., Kouvarakis, G. and Mihalopoulos, N.: 2002, ‘Influence of Black Sea and local biogenic activity of aerosol sulfur species in the eastern Mediterranean atmosphere’, Global Biogeochem. Cycles 16, 1079, 126–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuloglu, E.: 1997, ‘Size separation and dry deposition of particles in the Eastern Mediterranean basin’, M.Sc Thesis, Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University.

  • Lammel, G., Rohrl, A. and Schreiber, H.: 2002, ‘Atmospheric lead and bromine in Germany – Post-abatement levels, variabilities and trends’, Environmental Science and Pollution Research 9, 397–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, Z., Price, C. and Ganor, E.: 1990, ‘The contribution of sulfate and desert aerosols to the acidification of clouds in rain in Israel’, Atmospheric Environment 24, 1143–1151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, Z., Ganor, E. and Gladstein, V.: 1996, ‘The effects of desert particles coated with sulfate on rain formation in the eastern mediterranean’, Journal of Applied Meteorology 35, 1511–1523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcazzan, G. M., Vaccaro, S., Valli, G. and Vecchi, R.: 2001, ‘Characterisation of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate matter in the ambient air of Milan (Italy)’, Atmospheric Environment 35, 4639–4650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J., Poulichet, E. F., Guieu, C., Löye-Pilot, M. D. and Han, G.: 1989, ‘River versus atmospheric input of material to the Mediterranean Sea: An overwiev’, Marine Chemistry 28, 159–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masmoudi, M., Belghith, I. and Chaabane, M.: 2002, ‘Elemental particle size distributions. Measured and estimated dry deposition in Sfax region (Tunisia)’, Atmospheric Research 63, 209–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masmoudi, M., Chaabane, M., Tanré, D., Gouloup, P., Blarel, L. and Elleuch, F.: 2003, ‘Spatial and temporal variability of aerosol: Size distribution and optical properties’, Atmospheric Research 66, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, B.: 1966, Principles of Geochemistry, 3rd ed., John Willey, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mateu, J., Forteza, R. and Cerda, V.: 1996, ‘Major inorganic species in rain water collected in Majorca (Spain) – A preliminary study’, Journal of Environmental Science And Health 31, 1669–1682.

    Google Scholar 

  • Migon, C., Journel, B. and Nicolas, E.: 1997, ‘Measurement of trace metal wet, dry and total atmospheric fluxes over the Ligurian Sea’, Atmospheric Environment 31, 889–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Natsagdorj, L., Jugder, D. and Chung, Y. S.: 2003, ‘Analysis of dust storms observed in Mongolia during 1937–1999’, Atmospheric Environment 37, 1401–1411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olmez, I.: 1989, ‘Instrumental neutron activation analysis of atmospheric particulate matter’, in J. P. Lodge (ed.), Methods of Air Sampling and Analysis, Kluwer Academic Publishers, NY, pp. 143–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ondov, J. M., Zoller, W. H. and Gordon, G. E.: 1982, ‘Trace element emissions on aerosols from motor vehicles’, Environmental Science and Technology 16, 318–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ottley, C. J. and Harrison, R. M.: 1993, ‘Atmospheric dry deposition flux of metallic species to the North Sea’, Atmospheric Environment 27, 685–695.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pakkanen, T. A., Hillamo, R. E., Keronen, P., Maenhaut, W., Ducastel, G. and Pacyna, J. M.: 1996, ‘Sources and physicochemical characteristics of the atmospheric aerosol in Southern Norway’, Atmospheric Environment 30, 1391–1405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeifer, G. D., Harrison, R. M. and Lynam, D. R.: 1999, ‘Personal exposures to airborne metals in London taxi drivers and office workers in 1995 and 1996’, The Science of the Total Environment 235, 253–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Querol, R. X., Alastuey, A., Viana, M. M., Alarcón, M., Mantilla, E. and Sergio, C. R. R.: 2004, ‘Comparative PM10–PM2.5 source contribution study at rural, urban and industrial sites during PM episodes in Eastern Spain’, Science of the Total Environment 328, 95–113.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Remuadaki, E., Bergametti, G. and Losno, R.: 1991, ‘On the dynamic of the atmospheric input of copper and manganese into the western Mediterranean’, Atmospheric Environment 25, 733–744.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rojas, M. C., Injuk, J., Grieken, E. V. and Laane, R. W.: 1993, Dry and wet deposition fluxes of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn into the southern bight of the North Sea’, Atmospheric Environment 27, 251–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellegri, K., Gourdeau, J., Putaud, J. P. and Despiau, S.: 2001, ‘Chemical composition of marine aerosol in a Mediterranean coastal zone during the FETCH experiment’, Journal of Geophysical Research 106, 12023–12037.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvente, E. and Legrand, M.: 1993, ‘Ammonium to sulfate ratio in aerosol and snow of Greenland and Antarctic regions’, Geophysical Research Letters 20, 687–690.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smolik, J., Zdimal, V., Schwarz, J., Lazaridis, M., Havranek, V., Eleftheriadis, K., Mihalopoulos, N., Bryant, C. and Colbeck, I.: 2003, ‘Size resolved mass concentration and elemental composition of atmospheric aerosols over the Eastern Mediterranean area’, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 3, 2207–2216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiel, D. E. and Leeuw, G. D.: 1996, ‘Formation and production of sea spray aerosol’, Journal of Aerosol Science 27, S65–S66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spokes, L. J., Yeatman, S. G., Cornell, S. E. and Jickells, T. D.: 2000, ‘Nitrogen deposition to the eastern Atlantic Ocean. The importance of south-easterly flow’, Tellus 52B, 37–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strachan, W. M. J. and Eisenreich, S. J.: 1988, ‘Mass balancing of toxic chemicals in Great Lakes: The role of atmospheric deposition’, in Proceedings of the Workshop on the Estimation of Atmospheric Loadings of Toxic Chemicals to the Great Lakes Basin, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, pp. 75–81.

  • Yeatman, S. G., Spokes, L. J. and Jickells, T. D.: 2001, ‘Comparisons of coarse-mode aerosol nitrate and ammonium at two polluted coastal sites’, Atmospheric Environment 35, 1321–1335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhuang, H., Chan, C. K., Fang, M. and Wexler, A. S.: 1999, ‘Size distributions of particulate sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium at a coastal site in Hong Kong’, Atmospheric Environment 33, 843–853.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Middle East Technical University, 06531, Ankara, Turkey

    Esra Kuloglu & Gurdal Tuncel

Authors
  1. Esra Kuloglu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gurdal Tuncel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gurdal Tuncel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kuloglu, E., Tuncel, G. Size Distribution of Trace Elements and Major Ions in the Eastern Mediterranean Atmosphere. Water Air Soil Pollut 167, 221–241 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-8651-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-005-8651-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation