Abstract
In order to improve soil quality, size, and appearance of plants, various types of fertilizers are used in Poland. They are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Plants are fertilized before sowing, during germination, and during crop growth. Such agricultural activity can have a negative effect on the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols, which can be transported with air masses far away from the agricultural sources regions. The aim of the research was to estimate the influence of agriculture on the chemical composition of aerosols of various sizes (<0.45 to 10 µm) in the atmosphere of the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The samples were collected in Gdynia, from 11/05/2016 to 17/08/2016, only outside traffic hours (10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and only when air masses were transported from over agricultural areas. Aerosols were collected using Tisch Environmental high-flow impactor. The ions (NO3?, PO43-, K+, Ca2+) were determined by Metrohm ion chromatography (881 Compact IC pro). The obtained results allowed us to conclude that the highest mean concentrations of NO3?, K+, Ca2+occurred in aerosols below 0.45 µm in diameter (0.26, 0.04 and 5.85 µg·m-3, respectively). Phosphates showed the highest average concentration (0.191 µg·m-3) in aerosols with a diameter from 1.5 to 3.0 µm. The concentration of calcium and nitrates was the highest in the days when advection from Western Kashubia was dominant. In turn, the highest concentrations of phosphates and potassium occurred on the days when air masses were transported from Vistula ?u?awy. All episodes occurred in the spring when agricultural activity related to fertilizing farmland was the highest and the average wind speed was lower than 5 m·s-1, which indicates local to the regional origin of the analyzed compounds in aerosols.
Highlights
The chemical composition of aerosols is determined by the location of the research area in relation to pollution sources and the prevailing meteorological conditions (Sprovieri et al, 2011; Gaffke et al, 2016; Witkowska et al, 2016)
The maximum mean concentration of PM10 was18.63 μg∙m-3 and it was obtained in the range of aerosols with the largest diameter (7.2-10 μm)
The minimum concentration of PM10 was 26.00 μg∙m-3 and it was recorded on May 12.05.2016 while the maximum concentration was 65.89 μg∙m-3 and it was obtained on April 19.04.2016
Summary
The chemical composition of aerosols is determined by the location of the research area in relation to pollution sources and the prevailing meteorological conditions (Sprovieri et al, 2011; Gaffke et al, 2016; Witkowska et al, 2016). The rural area is characterized by large areas of arable land from which natural soil components can be emitted into the atmosphere and compounds fertilization (Jadczyszyn, 2015). This can lead to a reduction in air quality in rural areas. The technology and the market of artificial fertilizers are dynamically developing in order to ensure high fertility of crops. For this reason, it can be expected that the problem of air pollution-related to agriculture will remain current or even increase in intensity in the coming years.
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