Characteristics of metals in atmosphere over the western Taiwan Strait-Ⅰ. Concentrations and distributions

One hundred and eighty-one aerosol samples,and two cascade impactor samples were collected in the atmosphere over the western Taiwan Strait from 1991 to 1993.Concentrations of Al,Fe,Cu,Pb,Cd and Na were determined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometry.The contents of Fe,Cu,Pb and Cd in the atmosphere over the western Taiwan Strait were lower than those over inland cities in China,Europe or North America.Annual and seasonal variations of concentrations of the metals could be primarily attributed to washout or monsoon for non-sea-salt metals.Fe was presented in bimodel distributions with size around 3.6 and 0.52 μm,AI was chiefly distributed on the particles with being greater than 2.1 μm,Na on the particles with being greater or equal to 3.6 μm,and the size distributions of Cu,P6 and Cd were presented in small particles,chiefly on those with being smaller than or equal to 0.52 μm.