Mass size distributions for atmospheric trace elements at the Zeppelin background station in Ny Ålesund, Spitsbergen

Abstract

Since late 1990, size-fractionated aerosol samples are collected with 8-stage cascade impactors at the Zeppelin background station in Spitsbergen. All samples collected up to the end of 1993 were analyzed by PIXE. Raw mass size distributions were obtained for Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Zn, Br and Pb, and used to calculate mass median aerodynamic diameters for these elements. The raw size data were also converted into smooth size distributions by an inversion technique, and lognormal curves were fitted to the inverted distributions, so that the elemental mass concentration, geometric mean aerodynamic diameter and standard deviation of the different contributing modes were obtained. The results are compared with data from cascade impactor samplings in southern Norway. Variations in the size distributions over the course of the year are also examined.