Source Apportionment of Aerosol at a Coastal Site and Relationships with Precipitation Chemistry: A Case Study over the Southeast United States

• Main Authors: Andrea F. Corral, Hossein Dadashazar, Connor Stahl, Eva-Lou Edwards, Paquita Zuidema, Armin Sorooshian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Atmosphere
• Subjects: positive matrix factorization; NADP; IMPROVE; CWT; source apportionment
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1212

This study focuses on the long-term aerosol and precipitation chemistry measurements from colocated monitoring sites in Southern Florida between 2013 and 2018. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) model identified six potential emission sources impacting the study area. The PMF model solution yielded the following source concentration profiles: (i) combustion; (ii) fresh sea salt; (iii) aged sea salt; (iv) secondary sulfate; (v) shipping emissions; and (vi) dust. Based on these results, concentration-weighted trajectory maps were developed to identify sources contributing to the PMF factors. Monthly mean precipitation pH values ranged from 4.98 to 5.58, being positively related to crustal species and negatively related to SO₄²⁻. Sea salt dominated wet deposition volume-weighted concentrations year-round without much variability in its mass fraction in contrast to stronger seasonal changes in PM_2.5 composition where fresh sea salt was far less influential. The highest mean annual deposition fluxes were attributed to Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, and Na⁺ between April and October. Nitrate is strongly correlated with dust constituents (unlike sea salt) in precipitation samples, indicative of efficient partitioning to dust. Interrelationships between precipitation chemistry and aerosol species based on long-term surface data provide insight into aerosol–cloud–precipitation interactions.