No abstract

The mixing state of aerosols collected at M'Bour, Senegal, during the Special Observing Period conducted in January–February 2006 (SOP‐0) of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis project (AMMA), was studied by individual particle analysis. The sampling location on the Atlantic coast is particularly adapted for studying the mixing state of tropospheric aerosols since it is (1) located on the path of Saharan dust plumes transported westward over the northern tropical Atlantic, (2) influenced by biomass burning events particularly frequent from December to March, and (3) strongly influenced by anthropogenic emissions from polluted African cities. Particle size, morphology, and chemical composition were determined for 12,672 particles using scanning electron microscopy (automated SEM‐EDX). Complementary analyses were performed using transmission electron microscopy combined with electron energy loss spectrometry (TEM‐EELS) and Raman microspectrometry. Mineral dust and carbonaceous and marine compounds were predominantly found externally mixed, i.e., not present together in the same particles. Binary internally mixed particles, i.e., dust/carbonaceous, carbonaceous/marine, and dust/marine mixtures, accounted for a significant fraction of analyzed particles (from 10.5% to 46.5%). Western Sahara was identified as the main source of mineral dust. Two major types of carbonaceous particles were identified: “tar balls” probably coming from biomass burning emissions and soot from anthropogenic emissions. Regarding binary internally mixed particles, marine and carbonaceous compounds generally formed a coating on mineral dust particles. The carbonaceous coating observed at the particle scale on African dust was evidenced by the combined use of elemental and molecular microanalysis techniques, with the identification of an amorphous rather than crystallized carbon structure.

In this work, quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) and Raman microspectrometry (RMS) were applied in combination for the first time to characterize the complex internal structure and physicochemical properties of the same ensemble of Asian dust particles. The analytical methodology to obtain the chemical composition, mixing state, and spatial distribution of chemical species within single particles through the combined use of the two techniques is described. Asian dust aerosol particles collected in Incheon, Korea, during a moderate dust storm event were examined to assess the applicability of the methodology to resolve internal mixtures within single particles. Among 92 individual analyzed particles, EPMA and RMS identified 53% of the particles to be internally mixed with two or more chemical species. Information on the spatial distribution of chemical compounds within internally mixed individual particles can be useful for deciphering the particle aging mechanisms and sources. This study demonstrates that the characterization of individual particles, including chemical speciation and mixing state analysis, can be performed more in detail using EPMA and RMS in combination than with the two single-particle techniques alone.