Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net 1680-7367 1680-7375 6 3 2006 10.5194/acpd-6-3997-2006 http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/3997/2006/ http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/3997/2006/acpd-6-3997-2006.html http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/6/3997/2006/acpd-6-3997-2006.pdf 3997 4022 2006-05-19 Aerosol composition and source apportionment in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area with PIXE/PESA/STIM and multivariate analysis K. S. Johnson B. de Foy B. Zuberi L. T. Molina M. J. Molina Y. Xie A. Laskin V. Shutthanandan Department of Chemistry and of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA Applied Geology and Geochemistry Technical Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA now at: Molina Center for Energy and the Environment, La Jolla, CA, USA now at: GEO2 Technologies, Inc., Woburn, MA, USA Aerosols play an important role in the atmosphere but are poorly characterized, particularly in urban areas like the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The chemical composition of urban particles must be known to assess their effects on the environment, and specific particulate emissions sources should be identified to establish effective pollution control standards. For these reasons, samples of particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) were collected during the MCMA-2003 Field Campaign for elemental and multivariate analyses. Proton-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), Proton-Elastic Scattering Analysis (PESA) and Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) techniques were done to determine concentrations of 19 elements from Na to Pb, hydrogen, and total mass, respectively. The most abundant elements from PIXE analysis were S, Si, K, Fe, Ca, and Al, while the major emissions sources associated with these elements were industry, wind-blown soil, and biomass burning. Wind trajectories suggest that metals associated with industrial emissions came from northern areas of the city whereas soil aerosols came from the southwest and increased in concentration during dry conditions. Elemental markers for fuel oil combustion V and Ni correlated with a large SO₂ plume to suggest an anthropogenic, rather than volcanic, emissions source. By subtracting major components of soil and sulfate determined by PIXE analysis from STIM total mass measurements, we estimate that approximately 50% of non-volatile PM_2.5 consisted of carbonaceous material.