Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosols Using the Lisbon Nuclear Microprobe

• Authors: E. Rita , L. Alves , M. Reis , F. Rodrigues , P. Fialho , J. Soares
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The nuclear microprobe installed at Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, in Lisbon, was used in the analysis of aerosols collected at the Azores islands. Samples from two different aerosol groups were analysed. One referred to aerosols that were carried from North America and the other one contained aerosols that were carried from the Sahara desert and crossed over Europe. Coarse and fine fractions were analysed for each aerosol group and two-dimensional elemental maps were constructed, which allowed the identification of several individual particles. For particles of interest, elemental spatial correlations and dimensions were determined and point analysis was also carried out (depth information was achieved by fitting Rutherford backscattering spectra). Some of these particles are quite interesting. For instance, in the fine fraction of the aerosols that were carried from North America, particles were found with Cu and Cl in the atomic proportion 1:2 and with dimensions 15×15×15μm^3, and in the corresponding coarse fraction a particle with K and S was identified, with dimensions 28×35×30μm^3. Some differences were found between the aerosols groups. One example of these are Ti particles (fine fraction) and Rb (coarse fraction) that were identified in one group (Sahara desert and Europe), but not in the other

Keywords

EN

92.20.Bk; 92.60.Mt; 78.70.En; 82.80.Yc

Discipline

• 78.70.En: X-ray emission spectra and fluorescence
• 92.20.Bk: Aerosols(see also 92.60.Mt—in meteorology; 91.67.gp and 92.30.Ef—in Geophysics Appendix)
• 82.80.Yc: Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and other methods of chemical analysis
• 92.60.Mt: Particles and aerosols(see also 92.20.Bk—in oceanography; 91.67.gp and 92.30.Ef—in Geophysics Appendix)

• Journal: Acta Physica Polonica A
• Year: 2001
• Volume: 100
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 781-788

Dates

published

2001-11

received

2001-05-14

Contributors

author

E. Rita

• Department of Física, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, E.N.10, 2686-953 Sacavém Codex, Portugal
• CFNUL, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1699 Lisboa, Portugal

author

L. Alves

• Department of Física, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, E.N.10, 2686-953 Sacavém Codex, Portugal
• CFNUL, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1699 Lisboa, Portugal

author

M. Reis

• Department of Física, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, E.N.10, 2686-953 Sacavém Codex, Portugal
• CFNUL, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1699 Lisboa, Portugal

author

F. Rodrigues

• Department of Agrarian Sciences of the University of the Azores, 9701-851 Terra Chã, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal

author

P. Fialho

• Department of Agrarian Sciences of the University of the Azores, 9701-851 Terra Chã, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal

author

J. Soares

• Department of Física, Instituto Tecnológico e Nuclear, E.N.10, 2686-953 Sacavém Codex, Portugal
• CFNUL, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1699 Lisboa, Portugal

References

• 1. Installation and Operation Manual, Oxford Microbeams, Ltd., Oxford
• 2. G.W. Grime, presented at ICNMTA '96
• 3. J. Maxwell, J.L. Campbell, W.J. Teesdale, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B, 43, 218, 1989
• 4. G.W. Grime, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B, 109/110, 170, 1996
• 5. NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, Backward Trajectories calculated by F. Rodrigues
• 6. L.C. Alves, M.B.H. Breese, E. Alves, A. Paúl, M.R. da Silva, M.F. da Silva, J.C. Soares, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B, 161-163, 334, 2000
• 7. J.H. Seinfeld, S.N. Pandis, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics - From Air Pollution to Climate Change, Wiley, New York 1998

Identifiers

DOI

10.12693/APhysPolA.100.781