Skip to main content
Log in

Al and Fe in PM 2.5 and PM 10 Suspended Particles in South-Central Florida: The Impact of the Long Range Transport of African Mineral Dust

  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aluminum and iron were measured in daily samples collected at urban and rural sites near Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1995–1996 using a dichotomous sampler. Al and Fe concentrations were low during most of the year but they increased dramatically duringsummer when African dust was advected into Florida. The ratioof fine (less than 2.5 μm diameter) to coarse (2.5–10 μm) Al and Fe is relatively constant in African dust events with the fine accounting for a third to a half of the total. Also the mass ratio of Al-to-Fe is relatively constant at 1.8, a value similar to average crustal material. In contrast, in non-African dust the fine-to-coarse and Al-to-Fe ratios are extremely variable and generally much lower than those duringAfrican events when dust concentrations ranged up to 86 μg m-3. The timing and magnitude of the Ft. Myers dust peaks closely matched those measured concurrently in Miami, 200 km to the southeast. Large areas of the eastern United States are frequently impacted by African dust every summer. Although dustconcentrations can reach very high values it seems unlikely that African dust events alone will cause a violation of the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for PM 2.5 or PM 10. However, African dust in conjunction with emissions from local and regional sources could conceivably present a problemwith compliance. The probability of such an occurrence is heightened by the fact that dust concentrations are highest in the summer when pollution levels are often at a maximum in theeastern states.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andreae, A. O.: 1996, Nature 380, 389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arimoto, R., Duce, R. A., Savoie, D. L. and Prospero, J. M.: 1992, J. Atmos. Chem. 14, 439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arimoto, R., Duce, R. A., Ray, B. J., Ellis Jr., W. G., Cullen, J. D. and Merrill, J. T.: 1995, J. Geophys. Res. 100, 1199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, T. N. and Prospero, J. M.: 1972, J. Appl. Meteorol. 11, 283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chester, R., Nimmo, M. and Keyse, S.: 1996, ‘The Influence of Saharan and Middle Eastern Desert-Derived Dust on the Trace Metal Composition of Mediterranean Aerosols and Rainwaters: An Overview’, in S. Guerzoni and R. Chester (eds), The Impact of Desert Dust Across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 153-173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiapello, I., Prospero, J. M., Herman, J. R. and Hsu, N. C.: 1999, J. Geophys. Res. 104, 9277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dentener, F. J., Carmichael, G. R., Zhang, Y., Lelieveld, J. and Crutzen, P. J.: 1996, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 22,869.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duce, R. A.: 1995, ‘Sources, Distributions, and Fluxes of Mineral Aerosols and Their Relationship to Climate’, in R. J. Charlson and J. Heintzenberg (eds), Dahlem Workshop on Aerosol Forcing of Climate, Berlin, pp. 43-72.

  • Ellis Jr., W. G., Arimoto, R., Savoie, D. L., Merrill, J. T., Duce, R. A. and Prospero, J. M.: 1993, J. Geophys. Res. 98, 12,673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Federal Register: 1997, Vol. 62, No. 138, appendix K, 2.4a; 18 July 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatz, D. F. and Prospero, J. M.: 1996, Atmos. Environ. 30, 3789.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaccum, R. A.: 1978, ‘The Mineralogical and Elemental Composition of Mineral Aerosols over the Tropical North Atlantic: The Influence of Saharan Dust’, M. S. Thesis, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 161 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaccum, R. A. and Prospero, J. M.: 1980, Mar. Geol. 37, 295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guieu, C. and Thomas, A. J.: 1996, ‘Saharan Aerosols: From the Soil to the Ocean’, in S. Guerzoni and R. Chester, R. (eds), The Impact of Desert Dust Across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 207-216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gullu, G. H., Olmez, I. and Tuncel, G.: 1996, ‘Chemical Concentrations and Elements Size Distributions of Aerosols in the Eastern Mediterranean During Strong Dust Storms’, in S. Guerzoni, and R. Chester, (eds), The Impact of Desert Dust Across the Mediterranean, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, K. A., Akselsson, R., Nelson, J. W. and Winchester, J. W.: 1976, Environ. Sci. Technol. 10, 176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J. A., Portier, K. M. and Coyne, J.: 1994, The Climate and Weather of Florida, Pineapple Press, Inc., Sarasota, FL, 279 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman, J. R., Bhartia, P. K., Torres, O., Hsu, C., Seftor, C. and Celarier, E.: 1997, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 16,911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husar, R. B., Prospero, J. M. and Stowe, L. L.: 1997, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 16,889.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karyampudi, V. M. and Carlson, T. N.: 1988, J. Atmos. Sci. 45, 3102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karyampudi, M. V., Palm, S. P., Reagen, J. A., Fang, H., Grant, W. B., Hoff, R. M., Moulin, C., Pierce, H. F., Torres, O., Browell, E. V. and Melfi, S. H.: 1999, Bull. Amer. Meteorological Soc. 80(6), 1045.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, X., Maring, H., Savoie, D., Voss, K. and Prospero, J. M.: 1996, Nature 380, 416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li-Jones, X. and Prospero, J. M.: 1998, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 16073.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maring, H., Savoie, D., Izaguirre, M., McCormick, C., Arimoto, R., Prospero, J. and Pilinis, C.: 2000, J. Geophys. Res. 105, 14,677.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrill, J. T.: 1994, J. Geophys. Res. 99, 25,881.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molinaroli, E., Guerzoni, S. and Rampazzo, G.: 1993, ‘Contribution of Saharan Dust to the Central Mediterranean Basin’, in M. Johnson and A. Basu (eds), Processes Controlling the Composition of Clastic Sediments, Geol. Soc. Am. SP284, pp. 303-312.

  • Nichols, M. D.: 1996, EPA Memo: Areas Affected by PM-10 Natural Events, 30 May 1996.

  • Olmez, I.: 1989, ‘Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis of Atmospheric Particulate Matter’, in Methods of Air Sampling and Analysis, 3rd ed., Lewis Publishers, Inc., pp. 142-150.

  • Perry, K. D., Cahill, T. A., Eldred, R. A., Dutcher, D. D. and Gill, T. E.: 1997, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 11,225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M.: 1981, ‘Aeolian Transport to the World Ocean’, in C. Emiliani (ed.), The Sea, Vol. 7, The Oceanic Lithosphere, Wiley Interscience, New York, U.S.A., pp. 802-974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J.M.: 1996, ‘The Atmospheric Transport of Particles to the Ocean’, in V. Ittekkot, S. Honjo and P. J. Depetris (eds), Particle Flux in the Ocean, SCOPE Report 57, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., pp. 19-52.

  • Prospero, J. M.: 1999, J. Geophys. Res. 104, 15,917.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M. and Carlson, T. N.: 1972, J. Geophys. Res. 77, 265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M. and Nees, R. T.: 1986, Nature 320, 735.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M., Nees, R. T. and Uematsu, M.: 1987, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 14,723.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M., Schmitt, R., Cuevas, E., Savoie, D. L., Graustein, W. C., Turekian, K. K., Volz-Thomas, A., Diaz, A., Oltmans, S. J. and Levy II, H.: 1995, Geophys. Res. Lett. 22, 2925.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prospero, J. M., Barrett, K., Church, T., Dentener, K., Duce, R. A., Galloway, J. N., Levy II, H., Moody, J. and Quinn, P.: 1996, Biogeochemistry 35, 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahn, K. A., Borys, R. D., Shaw, G. E., Schutz, L. and Jaenicke, R.: 1979, ‘Long Range Impact of Desert Aerosol on Atmospheric Chemistry: Two Examples’, in C. Morales (ed.), Saharan Dust: Mobilization, Transport and Deposition, SCOPE Vol. 14, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 243-266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savoie, D. L., Prospero, J. M. and Saltzman, E. S.: 1989, J. Geophys. Res. 94, 5069.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savoie, D. L., Prospero, J. M., Oltmans, S. J., Graustein, W. C., Turekian, K. K., Merrill, J. T. and Levy II, H.: 1992, J. Geophys. Res. 97, 11,575.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schutz, L.: 1989, ‘Atmospheric Mineral Dust–Properties and Source markers’, in M. Leinen and M. Sarnthein (eds.), Paleoclimatology and Paleometeorology: Modern and Past Patterns of Global Atmospheric Transport, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 359-384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolik, I. N. and Toon, O. B.: 1996, Nature 381, 681.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. R. and McLennan, S. M.: 1985, The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution, Blackwells, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tegen, I., Hollrig, P., Chin, M., Fung, I., Jacob, D. and Penner, J.: 1997, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 23,895.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedepohl, K. H.: 1995, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 59, 1217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westphal, D. L., Toon, O. B. and Carlson, T. N.: 1987, J. Geophys. Res. 92, 3027.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westphal, D. L., Toon, O. B. and Carlson, T. N.: 1988, J. Atmos. Sci. 45, 2145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, R. and Spengler, J.: 1996, Particles in Our Air: Concentrations and Health Effects, Harvard University Press, 254 pp.

  • Zhu, X. R., Prospero, J. M., Millero, F. J., Savoie, D. L. and Brass, G. W.: 1992, Mar. Chem. 38, 91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, X. R., Prospero, J. M. and Millero, F. J.: 1997, J. Geophys. Res. 102, 21,297.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Prospero, J.M., Olmez, I. & Ames, M. Al and Fe in PM 2.5 and PM 10 Suspended Particles in South-Central Florida: The Impact of the Long Range Transport of African Mineral Dust. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 125, 291–317 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005277214288

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005277214288

Navigation