Al and Fe in PM 2.5 and PM 10 suspended particles in South-Central Florida : The impact of the long range transport of African mineral dust

Aluminum and iron were measured in daily samples collected at urban and rural sites near Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1995-1996 using a dichotomous sampler. Al and Fe concentrations were low during most of the year but they increased dramatically duringsummer when African dust was advected into Florida. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2001, Vol.125 (1-4), p.291-317
Main Authors: PROSPERO, Joseph M, OLMEZ, Ilhan, AMES, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accounting
Africa
Aluminum
Applied sciences
Atmospheric pollution
Dispersed sources and other
Dust
Environmental monitoring
Environmental protection
Exact sciences and technology
Iron
Particulate matter
Pollution
Pollution levels
Pollution sources. Measurement results
Samplers
Soil pollution
Summer
USA, Florida, Ft. Myers
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Summary:Aluminum and iron were measured in daily samples collected at urban and rural sites near Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1995-1996 using a dichotomous sampler. Al and Fe concentrations were low during most of the year but they increased dramatically duringsummer when African dust was advected into Florida. The ratioof fine (less than 2.5 km diameter) to coarse (2.5-10 km) Al and Fe is relatively constant in African dust events with the fine accounting for a third to a half of the total. Also the mass ratio of Al-to-Fe is relatively constant at 1.8, a value similar to average crustal material. In contrast, in non-African dust the fine-to-coarse and Al-to-Fe ratios are extremely variable and generally much lower than those duringAfrican events when dust concentrations ranged up to 86 kg m super(-3). The timing and magnitude of the Ft. Myers dust peaks closely matched those measured concurrently in Miami, 200 km to the southeast. Large areas of the eastern United States are frequently impacted by African dust every summer. Although dustconcentrations can reach very high values it seems unlikely that African dust events alone will cause a violation of the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for PM 2.5 or PM 10. However, African dust in conjunction with emissions from local and regional sources could conceivably present a problemwith compliance. The probability of such an occurrence is heightened by the fact that dust concentrations are highest in the summer when pollution levels are often at a maximum in theeastern states.
ISSN:0049-6979
1573-2932
DOI:10.1023/A:1005277214288