Gas and Aerosol Loadings at Holme Moss 1996–1998, Measurements and Analysis Using Back-Trajectory Clustering

Author: Inglis D.W.F.  

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

ISSN: 1567-7230

Source: Water, Air and Soil Pollution: Focus, Vol.1, Iss.5-6, 2001-01, pp. : 355-364

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Abstract

A continuous two-year atmospheric dataset comprising gas and aerosol loadings from a mountain site in northern England (Holme Moss, W1°51′30′′ N53°32′0′′) is presented. The data are analysed with respect to three-day back-trajectories that are grouped according to a clustering technique that allows speed, direction and curvature of the airmass track to be considered. The technique is successful in separating the data into chemically distinct subsets. Up to 29% of the variance in the data is explained by back-trajectory clusters. Slow trajectories are associated with high loadings especially for the oxides of nitrogen, which may imply a local source for much of the suspended pollutant. The data suggest that production of nitrate and sulphate is limited by oxidant availability at least in the winter. It may be possible to optimise the analytical power of the technique by increasing the importance of recent airmass track in determining cluster allocation. This applies especially to the total sulphur loading.