Abstract

In order to examine the variation characteristics of chemical compositions in relation to the inflow pathways of Asian dust, PM10 and PM2.5 aerosols were collected at Gosan site of Jeju Island during the Asian dust days between 2010 and 2015, and their chemical compositions were analyzed. The mean mass concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 during Asian dust days were 130.0 ± 90.2 and 38.2 ± 24.7 μg/m3, respectively. The composition ratios of major secondary pollutants (nss-SO4 2−, NH4 +, NO3 −) were high as 53.7 % for PM10-2.5 and 90.6 % for PM2.5. When the Asian dusts had been transported to the Korean Peninsula via Loess Plateau of central China, the concentrations of nss-Ca2+, NH4 +, nss-SO4 2−, and NO3 − increased more noticeably. Whereas in case when the inflow pathways of Asian dust had been through the Bohai bay, the concentrations of the crustal species such as Al, Fe, and Ca were relatively high in coarse particles. The atmospheric aerosols were acidified largely by sulfuric and nitric acids. They were neutralized mainly by calcium carbonate in coarse particle mode passed through Manchuria area, but by ammonia in fine particle mode passed through Loess plateau and Bohai bay. Ammonium salts are assumed to exist as ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate in coarse particles, but mostly as ammonium sulfate in fine particles.