Characterization of the Atlanta area aerosol, elemental composition and possible sources

Abstract This paper presents a study or the elemental characterization of the Atlanta area aerosol at one rural and several urban sites. It includes a determination of the concentrations of major elemental components of the aerosol and a statistical analysis of the relationships between these components as a means of investigating possible sources. This research has emphasized the study of the graphitic carbon, C e , and elemental sulfur, S, components of the aerosol (these two components are important in visibility reduction studies). The measurements show that C e and S represent, respectively 3.1–9.9% and 1.9–4.4% of the total suspended paniculate, TSP, mass. The concentrations of C e , S and TSP exhibit strong seasonal variations with C e decreasing from winter to summer and S and TSP increasing over this period. All elemental components exhibit less concentration at the rural site than at the urban sites. Analysis results show that C e appears to be statistically separate from S, which is assumed to be present as sulfate, indicating that the sources for C e and particulate sulfate are distinct. S and TSP, however, appear to be linked through common regional scale meteorological processes.