Tropospheric aerosol ionic composition in the Eastern Mediterranean region

N. Mihalopoulos; E. Stephanou; M. Kanakidou; S. Pilitsidis; P. Bousquet

doi:10.3402/tellusb.v49i3.15970

Tropospheric aerosol ionic composition in the Eastern Mediterranean region

Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology

Volume 49 (1997): Issue 3

By: N. Mihalopoulos, E. Stephanou, M. Kanakidou, S. Pilitsidis and P. Bousquet

Open Access

|Jan 1997

Abstract

Concentrations of the major soluble ions: sulfate (SO₄ ⁼), nitrate (NO₃ ^-), chloride (Cl^-), methanesulfonate (MSA), sodium (Na⁺), ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)), potassium (K⁺), calcium (Ca⁺⁺) and magnesium (Mg⁺⁺), have been measured in 49 aerosol samples collected over a year period at a coastal site of the island of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean. Significant correlations have been observed between nss-SO₄ ⁼ (nonsea salt sulfate) and NH₄ ⁺ and Cl^- and NO₃ ^-. The NH₄ ⁺/SO₄ ⁼ equivalent ratio was 0.32. Comparison between total measured concentrations of anions and cations shows a clear deficit of cations. Correlation observed between the cation deficit and the nss-SO₄ ⁼ concentrations suggests that H⁺ is probably the missing cation. Taking into consideration MSA/nss-SO₄ ⁼ ratios, the contribution of biogenic sulfur in the Eastern Mediterranean was evaluated between 0.6 and 28.3%. The variations in the ion concentrations are discussed conjointly with meteorological data and 5-day back trajectories of air masses.

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