Open AccessSeasonal variation of water‐soluble ions of the aerosol at the high‐alpine site Jungfraujoch (3580 m asl)
Author(s) -
Henning S.,
Weingartner E.,
Schwikowski M.,
Gäggeler H. W.,
Gehrig R.,
Hinz K.P.,
Trimborn A.,
Spengler B.,
Baltensperger U.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2002jd002439
Subject(s) - aerosol , sulfate , nitrate , environmental science , seasonality , atmosphere (unit) , ammonium nitrate , ammonium , atmospheric sciences , calcium nitrate , particulates , mass concentration (chemistry) , ammonium sulfate , environmental chemistry , chemistry , calcium , meteorology , geology , geography , statistics , mathematics , organic chemistry , chromatography
Within the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Aerosol Program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the aerosol chemical composition has been continuously measured since July 1999 at the Jungfraujoch (JFJ) of which the first 1.5‐year data set is presented. Sampling is performed in two size classes (total suspended particles (TSP) and particles with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 1 μm). The filters are analyzed for major ions, which constitute 30% of the total dry aerosol mass collected at this site. As annual mean, a total ion mass concentration of 1.04 μg m −3 was observed. Sulfate, ammonium, and nitrate were the major components of the fine aerosol fraction, while calcium and nitrate were two major water‐soluble components in the coarse mode. Single particle analysis confirmed the internal mixture of calcium and nitrate in the coarse mode. The total ion mass concentration showed strong seasonal differences, with 1.25, 1.62, 0.70, and 0.25 μg m −3 for spring, summer, fall, and winter, respectively. The variability was stronger for sulfate, ammonium, and nitrate than for calcium. The reason for this is believed to be local sources of calcium, which do not require vertical transport, along with Sahara dust episodes, which occur occasionally over the whole year, independent from the season.