Size-resolved chemical composition of Australian dust aerosol during winter
M. Radhi A , M. A. Box A E , G. P. Box A , M. D. Keywood B , D. D. Cohen C , E. Stelcer C and R. M. Mitchell D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
B CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, A partnership between CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, PMB1, Aspendale, VIC 3195, Australia.
C Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia.
D CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Black Mountain Laboratories, Clunies Ross Street, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: m.box@unsw.edu.au
Environmental Chemistry 8(3) 248-262 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN10134
Submitted: 7 December 2010 Accepted: 4 May 2011 Published: 22 June 2011
Environmental context. Mineral dust aerosol is both an efficient scatterer of solar radiation, potentially cooling the planet, and a moderate absorber, potentially warming it: the exact balance is both uncertain, and geographically variable. Australian desert soils are noticeably more reddish than most Northern Hemisphere deserts, most probably a result of enhanced iron mineralogy. This paper contains results from a field campaign designed to increase our understanding of the chemistry of Australian mineral dust aerosol, especially in relation to iron and salt.
Abstract. Australia is the dominant source of mineral dust aerosol in the Southern Hemisphere, yet the physical, chemical and optical properties of this aerosol remain poorly understood. Four sets of size-resolved aerosol samples were collected at a site on the edge of the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB), in the south-east dust transport pathway. Back trajectory analysis shows that three samples were sourced from the LEB (one during a rare winter dust storm), and one from coastal regions to the south. All samples were subjected to both ion beam analysis and ion chromatography. A Fe/Al ratio of 0.9 was found, consistent with results from our other campaigns to sites in the LEB, significantly higher than typical Northern Hemisphere values (~0.45–0.6). This confirms the iron-rich character of central Australian soils. Clear evidence of marine advection in the fourth sample was also found, and evidence of chloride depletion by nitric acid in two samples.
Additional keywords: chloride depletion, entrained salt, ion beam analysis, Lake Eyre Basin, mineral dust aerosol, radiative forcing.
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