Affiliation:
1. Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Accurate information on air quality serves as the foundation for making regulatory and legal decisions aimed at reducing air pollution. This study investigates the vertical distribution of dust particle concentration, their elemental composition, and size distribution in the atmospheric surface layer in Yekaterinburg. Over eight days in April 2021, 64 dust samples were collected on filters at heights ranging from 0.5 m to 10 m at a single site using a mobile post. The mass concentration of the dust, characterized by heterogeneous data with a coefficient of variation exceeding 30%, exhibited a weak tendency to decrease with height. The proportion of particles smaller than 1 µm decreased with increasing altitude, except for 10 m, where their proportion increased. Conversely, the concentration of p articles ranging from one to two microns decreased closer to the surface. Dust grains of other sizes were nearly evenly distributed at various heights. Dust particles smaller than PM2.5 accounted for approximately 45% of the total particles. X-ray fluorescence analysis identified 12 elements in dust particles, with S, Ca, and Fe showing the most substantial content. The proportion of most metals and Ca in solid particles decreased with height, while the content of S and As increased. The Cu, Zn, and Sb content in dust particles remained constant at all measured heights.
Publisher
Russian Geographical Society
Reference22 articles.
1. Baglaeva E.M., Sergeev A.P., Buevich,A.G., et. al. (2019). Particulate matter size distribution in air surface layer of Middle Ural and Arctic territories. Atmospheric Pollution Research, 4, 1220-1226.
2. Baglaeva E.M., Buevich A.G., Subbotina I.E., and Sergeev A.P. (2017). Mobile station for dust sampling of the surface layer of atmospheric air with height stratification. Ecological Systems and Devices (ESIP), 7, 23-32. [in Russian]
3. Beddows D.C.S., Harrison R.M., Gonet T. Measurement of road traffic brake and tyre dust emissions using both particle composition and size distribution data. Environmental Pollution, (2023), 331(1), 121830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121830
4. Cachon B.F., Firmin S., Verdin A., et.al. (2014). Proinflammatory effects and oxidative stress within human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to atmospheric particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM>2.5) collected from Cotonou, Benin. Environmental Pollution, 185, 340-351, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.026.
5. Cohen A. J., Brauer M., Burnett R., et al. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015. Lancet, (2017), 389, 1907–1918. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30505-6.