Water-soluble ions in dust particles depending on meteorological conditions in urban environment

Abstract

The particle size distribution of particulate matter (PM) and concentrations of water-soluble ions were observed in airborne aerosol in the City of Ostrava (the Czech Republic, Moravian-Silesian Region) during winter 2016. The Ostrava area ranks among the most polluted areas not only within the Czech Republic but also in Europe due to the high concentration of industry, especially metallurgy, in this area. The selected water-soluble ions: were studied in different grain size classes of particulate matter separated into 7 fractions (from 0.0175 to 9.93 mu m) collected by an electrical low pressure impactor ELPI+. Assessment of the influence of meteorological parameters and various sources of contamination (transportation, industry, and residential burning) in heavily environmentally-burdened urban areas was attempted. This study proved that (K)(+) is related to metallurgical processes and its role as an indicator of biomass combustion is negligible. The highest concentrations of all water-soluble ions were determined in particles below 0.952 mu m that is generally related to combustion processes. At increased air temperature (in the interval from 0 degrees C to 10 degrees C), concentrations of both dust particles and the sum of water-soluble ions are decreasing.