
Atmospheric nitrate, sulfate, ammonium and calcium concentrations in China
Abstract
We used teflon/nylon filter packs to measure concentrations of nitrate (aerosol plus vapor), sulfate, ammonium, and calcium at three locations in China during October of 1985. On the average, molar sulfate concentrations were less than twice the total nitrate concentrations. This small ratio is some what surprising, in view of the large amount of coal burning in China. In Beijing, calcium was the dominant cation, but at both the Xinglong Astronomical Observatory (a rural northern China site) and Changsha (the capital city of Hunan Province, in the south), there was more ammonium ion than calcium in the aerosol. During a period of northerly winds at Xinglong, the concentrations were comparable to reported background values fiom North America and Europe, suggesting that this may be a good site for studying Asian continental background air.
© 1988 Barry J. Huebert, Wang Ming-Xing, Lu Wei-Xiu, published by Stockholm University Press
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