Li SQ Zhang GL Yang JL Nan J. Multi-Source Characteristics of Atmospheric Deposition in Nanjing China as Controlled by East Asia Monsoons and Urban Activities. Pedosphere 2016 26(3): 374-385
Abstract
Atmospheric deposition a major pathway of metals entering into soils plays an important role in soil environment especially in urban regions where a large amount of pollutants are emitted into atmosphere through various sources. In order to understand the characteristics of atmospheric deposition in urban area and its relation with natural and anthropogenic sources a three-year study of atmospheric deposition at three typical sites industrial zone (IN) urban residential area (RZ) and suburban forested scenic area (FA) was carried out in Nanjing a metropolitan city in eastern China from 2005 to 2007. The bulk deposition rate and element composition of atmospheric deposition varied spatio-temporally in the urban zones of Nanjing. The concentrations of Cu Zn Pb and Ca in the atmospheric deposits were strongly enriched in the whole Nanjing region; however anthropogenic pollutants in atmospheric deposits were diluted by the input of external mineral dust transported from northwestern China. Source apportionment through principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the background atmospheric deposition at the FA site was the combination of external aerosol and local emission sources. The input of long-range transported Asian dust had an important influence on the urban background deposition especially in spring when the continental dust from the northwestern China prevailed. Marine aerosol source was observed in summer and autumn the seasons dominated by summer monsoon in Nanjing. In contrast the contribution of local anthropogenic emission source was constant regardless of seasons. At the RZ and IN sites the atmospheric deposition was more significantly affected by the nearby human activities than at the FA site. In addition different urban activities and both the winter and summer Asian monsoons had substantial impacts on the characteristics of dust deposition in urban Nanjing.
