Premium
Scavenging of pollutant acid substances by Asian mineral dust particles
Author(s) -
Matsumoto Jun,
Takahashi Kenshi,
Matsumi Yutaka,
Yabushita Akihiro,
Shimizu Atsushi,
Matsui Ichiro,
Sugimoto Nobuo
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl025782
Subject(s) - sulfate , mineral dust , asian dust , scavenging , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , coal combustion products , outflow , particle (ecology) , nitrate , aerosol , combustion , oceanography , geology , meteorology , chemistry , geography , biochemistry , organic chemistry , antioxidant
Uptakes of sulfate and nitrate onto Asian dust particles during transport from the Asian continent to the Pacific Ocean were analyzed by using a single‐particle time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer. Observation was conducted at Tsukuba in Japan in the springtime of 2004. Sulfate‐rich dust particles made their largest contribution during the ‘dust event’ in the middle of April 2004. As a result of detailed analysis including backward trajectory calculations, it was confirmed that sulfate components originating from coal combustion in the continent were internally mixed with dust particles. Even in the downstream of the outflow far from the continental coastline, significant contribution of Asian dust to sulfate was observed. Asian dust plays critical roles as the carrier of sulfate over the Pacific Ocean.