Elemental Tracers of Distant Regional Pollution Aerosols

A seven-element tracer system shows that regional pollution aerosols of both North America and Europe have characteristic signatures that can be followed into remote areas up to several thousand kilometers downwind. In aerosols of mixed origin, regional contributions to the tracer elements can be re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Rahn, Kenneth A., Lowenthal, Douglas H.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1984
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.223.4632.132
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.223.4632.132
Description
Summary:A seven-element tracer system shows that regional pollution aerosols of both North America and Europe have characteristic signatures that can be followed into remote areas up to several thousand kilometers downwind. In aerosols of mixed origin, regional contributions to the tracer elements can be resolved by least-squares procedures. After transport of several hundred kilometers, secondary sulfate can also be apportioned satisfactorily. Regional elemental tracers thus offer a way to determine the sources of pollution aerosol in important areas such as the northeastern United States, Scandinavia, and the Arctic.