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The spatial and temporal distributions of spheroidal carbonaceous particles from sediment core samples from industrial cities in Japan and China

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Abstract

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) are produced by the high-temperature combustion of fossil fuels and emitted in to the atmosphere. The distribution and concentration of SCPs in sediments have been used as a proxy for the distribution of pollutants emitted to the atmosphere. However, the effect on the distribution of SCPs due to industrial activity at nearby industrial cities is yet to be quantified. To clarify the origin of SCPs of ~20 μm in size that are preserved in sediments, we evaluated the abundance, surface morphology, and chemical composition of SCPs in sediment core samples recovered from industrial cities in Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagasaki) and China (Beijing), with the cities being located at least ~500 km away from each other. Vertical profiles of SCP concentration in sediment cores from the Japanese cities and Beijing are different, reflecting the contrasting industrial histories of the two countries. The SCPs from different cities show contrasting morphological and chemical characteristics, suggesting that ~20 μm SCPs in sediments from the industrial cities could represent the local combustion history in detail, as the influx of local SCPs is dominant at such sites.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Jun-ichi Fujimoto, Shinji Nagaoka, Akira Tsujimoto, and Xiao Jule for their assistance in collecting samples in Nagasaki and Beijing. This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (No. 16340157 to S Yoshikawa, No. 07J10902 to A Murakami).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyosi-ku, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan

    Eri Hirakawa, Takamoto Okudaira, Jun Inoue & Shusaku Yoshikawa

  2. Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 169-8555, Japan

    Akiko Murakami-Kitase

  3. Department of Life Science, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, 577-8502, Japan

    Hideo Yamazaki

Authors
  1. Eri Hirakawa
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  2. Akiko Murakami-Kitase
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  3. Takamoto Okudaira
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  4. Jun Inoue
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  5. Hideo Yamazaki
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  6. Shusaku Yoshikawa
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Correspondence to Jun Inoue.

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Hirakawa, E., Murakami-Kitase, A., Okudaira, T. et al. The spatial and temporal distributions of spheroidal carbonaceous particles from sediment core samples from industrial cities in Japan and China. Environ Earth Sci 64, 833–840 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0907-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0907-1

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