Characterization of urban air pollution by total reflection X-ray fluorescence

Abstract

Besides photochemical smog, particulate air pollution is a constantly growing problem in urban areas. The particulate matter present in pollution events contains often toxic or health impacting elements and is responsible for low visibility, might be triggering respiratory diseases like asthma, and can play an important role in formation or duration of smog events. To characterize particulate pollution in two different cities, samples were taken during intensive field campaigns in Chicago, IL, in 2002 and Phoenix, AZ, in 2001. Both cities experience regularly photochemical smog events as well as particulate pollution, but show very different meteorological and topographical conditions. Therefore it is expected that the particulate composition varies significantly, providing information about different pollution forms. Sampling took place in both cases at elevated locations and had a temporal resolution of 1.5 h and 1 h, respectively. The samples were analyzed by total reflection X-ray fluorescence after digestion of the filter matrix. As expected the elemental composition of particulate matter varied between both cities substantially with Phoenix showing a higher abundance of crustal elements, and Chicago enrichment in anthropogenically produced ones. In both cities diurnal patterns were found, exerting maxima in the morning and minima in the early afternoon. The diurnal pattern was much more regularly and also more strongly pronounced in Phoenix. Phoenix's valley location permits for a more stable nocturnal boundary layer to build up during the night thus trapping particulates efficiently during this time, until mixing occurs in the early morning hours and the residual layer lifts. In Chicago, the diurnal variation was less extreme, but another pattern determines the situation with the lake breeze. The lake breeze corresponds to a shift in wind direction towards the east, i.e. from Lake Michigan during the late morning. It was found that certain elemental species were enriched during a lake breeze event whereas this was not the case during other days. In conclusion, the low sample mass needed for TXRF analysis and the corresponding short sampling times, permitted the observation and characterization of local meteorological patterns in Phoenix and in Chicago.