Ambient air particulates and Hg(p) concentrations and dry depositions estimations, distributions for various particles sizes ranges

Abstract

Ambient air TSP concentrations, dry deposition fluxes and particulate-bound mercury (Hg(p)) concentrations were measured and analyzed at a complex (traffic, residential and commercial) site. Zhang and He’s model^[1] was used to predict the dry deposition fluxes of ambient air particulates and Hg(p) at this complex site. The results revealed that October had the highest mean particulate concentration and lowest Hp(p) concentration and dry deposition flux. The mean calculated dry deposition fluxes of PM_2.5 and PM_2.5-10 accounted for 1%–2% and 0.06%–5% of the average total calculated dry deposition particle flux, respectively. The average calculated particle dry depositions flux of PM₁₀₊, accounted for 93%–99% of the average total calculated dry depositions particle flux. Finally, the model of Zhang and He underestimated the ambient air dry depositions fluxes of both particulates and Hg(p) for all particles sizes (PM_2.5, PM_2.5-10, PM₁₀⁺) at the mixed site in this study. Better results concerning the dry deposition fluxes of pollutants were obtained as the particles size increased.

Keywords:

• Particles
• particle sizes
• particulate-bound mercury
• dry deposition
• dry deposition model

Additional information

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the National Science Council of the ROC (Taiwan) for financially supporting this work under project no. 107-2221-E-241-003.