Micro-mineral composition and morphology of dust particles of near-surface aerosol in а megapolis in wintertime
D.P. Gubanova1, S.S. Ilenok2, A.V. Talovskaya2
1A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
2National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia
Keywords: atmosphere, aerosol, morphology, antropogenic and mineral particles, concentration, meteorological parameters, winter, Moscow
Abstract
The morphology and composition of aerosol particles determine aerosol activity in atmospheric heterogenic processes affecting the optical, radiation, and chemical properties of the atmosphere. In addition, the structure and mineral composition of the particles serve indicators of anthropogenic and natural sources of pollutants into the environment. However, there is still insufficient information about the morphological characteristics of atmospheric aerosols. In this work, the mineral and matter characteristics of dust aerosol particles were studied, which made it possible to identify natural and man-made formations in aerosol composition in the surface air layer in Moscow metropolis in wintertime. Micro-particles containing a lot of potentially toxic elements, such as heavy metals and metalloids of man-made or mixed origin, were found. Several groups of metal-containing micro-particles in near-surface aerosol have been identified, among which the most common are: 1) sulfates (mainly Ba, Sr); 2) sulfides (Fe, Sb, Pb); 3) oxides (Fe, W, Cu, As, Cd, Pb); 4) intermetallides (Pb-Sn-Zn, Pb-Zn, Cu-Zn, Cu-Pb, Te-Sb-Al-Bi, Fe-Ni-Cu-Sn Fe-Cr-Ni); 5) native metals (Pb, Zn, Ni, Te, Fe, Zr, W). The distributions of various elements over the surface of filters with aerosol samples were evaluated, and it was found that most of the micro-minerals in dust particles are in the calcium phase and to a lesser extent, in silicate and aluminosilicate phases. The results complement information on the morphology and micro-mineral composition of aerosols in the near-surface air of a megalopolis and can be useful both for clarifying the role of aerosol particles in atmospheric heterogeneous processes leading to climate change and for solving applied environmental problems.
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