The aim of this study conducted at Kanpur (26.51°N, 80.23°E), India, was to quantify chemical properties of dust and the intensity of mixing, due to its interaction with various emissions from anthropogenic activities, during its long range transport. Aerosol mass was collected at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain from April-July 2011, a period marked by intense dust storms and onset of monsoon. The sampling days were classified as Dust, Polluted Dust 1 (PD 1 ), Polluted Dust 2 (PD 2 ) and Continental days. PM 10 (coarse mode) and PM 2.5 (fine mode) collected on filter substrates were analysed for chemical composition. Elemental concentrations were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The results show that crustal elements like Ca, Fe, K, Na and Mg were dominant in coarse mode during dusty days, whereas, elements of anthropogenic origin like Cu, Ni, Se and V were mostly concentrated in fine mode during PD 1 as well as PD 2 . Very low elemental concentrations were found during continental days. SO 4 2-, Cl -and NO 3 -were found to be high during PD 1 and PD 2 days. Very good correlations of NH 4 + with Cl -and SO 4 2-ions in PD 1 days indicate their common sources of origin and formation of ammonium chloride and ammonium sulphate. Water Soluble Inorganic Carbon (WSIC) was found during all dust days, Water Soluble Organic Carbon (WSOC) was found to be highest during PD 1 and PD 2 days.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.