Chemical Composition of North Atlantic Aerosols

Abstract

The paper presents new information on the chemical composition of the insoluble aerosol fraction in the atmospheric surface boundary layer of different climatic zones of the North Atlantic (temperate humid, arid and semiarid, equatorial humid). The material for this study was collected during 12 expeditions. Nylon meshes were used to catch aerosols along the course of vessels. Aerosols above the North Atlantic consist of lithogenic, biogenic, and anthropogenic particles transported from different regions, which governs the differences in their concentrations and mineral and chemical compositions. Significant (by more than an order of magnitude) enrichment of aerosols in Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb, Sb, and Se is related to anthropogenic atmospheric pollution.