Characterization and Elemental Composition of Atmospheric Aerosol Loads during Springtime Dust Storm in Western Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Dust storm is a common phenomenonand, a severe environmental hazard in western Saudi Arabia. In this study, simultaneous measurement of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1.0 and elemental compositions analysis of PM 2.5 in Jeddah city during springtime (March 2012) dust storm (DS) and non-dust storm (non-DS) periods were carried out to investigate the impact of DS on the levels, characterization and elemental compositions of atmospheric particles. Results indicate that PM fractions concentrations were higher in DS environment compared to non-DS. The diurnal variation of PM fractions concentrations was uni-modal in non-DS environment and bimodal in DS. PM 1.0 /PM 10 , PM 2.5 /PM 10 and PM 2.5 /PM 2.5-10 ratios were relatively lower in DS, indicating that sand-dust events in spring carry much more coarse than fine particles to Jeddah. PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1.0 in DS and PM 10 and PM 2.5 in non-DS might originate from similar sources. PM 10 , PM 2.5 , PM 1.0 in DS and PM 10 in non-DS were correlated negatively with relative humidity and positively with wind speed. PM 2.5 and PM 1.0 in non-DS were correlated positively with relative humidity and negatively with wind speed. The crustal elements accounted for 44.62 and 67.53% of the total concentrations of elements in non-DS and DS, respectively. The elements concentrations increased in DS, with highest DS/non-DS ratios for Ca, Si, Al and Fe. This indicates that the soil originating species contributed mainly in DS particles.The enrichment factors values and non-crustal fractions in both non-DS and DS indicate that the main sources of Na, Mg, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Rb and Sr are of a crustal type, whereas S, Cl, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Pb and Cd are anthropogenic. V and Ni in DS only are emitted from anthropogenic sources. The enrichment factors of these anthropogenic elements were lower in DS. They might originate mainly from local sources in Jeddah.

Chemical Characterization of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter (PM2.5, PM10) in Doha, Qatar

“…Additionally, the severe dust storms that occur frequently in MEA contribute significantly to the large-scale transport of air pollution and particularly to the ambient PM pollution (Akbari, 2011;Saliba and Massoud, 2011;Al-Awadh, 2013). The chemical composition of particulate matter in the atmosphere of arid areas has been thoroughly studied during the last years (Shaltout et al, 2013;Alghamdi et al, 2015;Alhabri et al, 2015;Habeebullah, 2016). Nevertheless, studies which simultaneously characterize the chemical composition of indoor and outdoor PM are limited; thus, further investigation on the field may shed valuable light on the role and contribution of airborne dust as a potentially significant source of air pollution.…”

Atmospheric PM2.5 and Depositions of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Kaohsiung Area, Southern Taiwan

“…The content of ambient particulate matters is conglomerate of many pollutant subclasses and it also comprises organic and inorganic species. The sources of particulate matter can be natural or anthropogenic (Kong et al, 2014;Alghamdi et al, 2015). Natural sources include volcanic eruptions, wood burning, and sea sprays, while anthropogenic sources include industries, automobiles and construction activities.…”

Impact of Dust Storms on NPAHs and OPAHs in PM2.5 in Jinan, China, in Spring 2016: Concentrations, Health Risks, and Sources

“…Furthermore, the concentration, distribution, and origin of PAH derivatives in the atmosphere in cities, rural areas, traffic sites (Ringuet et al, 2012a, b, c), indoor and outdoor sites, and during special periods such as the Beijing Olympic Games (Wang et al, 2011b) have been studied, but few studies have focused on dust storms (Hou et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2009;Wang et al, 2012). The dust storm can affect the chemicals of fine particles, the concentration of secondary species and size distribution (Alghamdi et al, 2015;Pu et al, 2015;Xu et al, 2017). Economic development in East Asia may have caused increases in NO 2 , organic pollutants, and soot.…”