Abstract. Total atmospheric deposition was collected on a weekly basis over 3.5 years
(March 2008–October 2011) at a remote coastal site on the west coast of
Corsica. Deposition time series of macro- and micronutrients (N, P,
Si, Fe) and trace metals (As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, V, Zn) are investigated in
terms of variability and source apportionment (from fluxes of proxies for
aerosol sources (Al, Ti, Ca, Na, Mg, S, Sr, K, Pb)). The highest fluxes are
recorded for Si, P, and Fe for nutrients and Zn and Mn for trace
metals. For the majority of elements, data show some weeks with high
episodic fluxes, except for N, Cr, and V, which present the lowest
variability. A total of 12 intense mineral dust deposition events are identified
during the sampling period. The contribution of these events to the fluxes
of Fe and Si represents 52 % and 57 % of their total fluxes,
respectively, confirming the important role of these sporadic dust events in
the inputs of these elements in the Mediterranean. For N and P, the
contribution of these intense dust deposition events is lower and reaches
10 % and 15 %, respectively. Out of these most intense events, positive matrix
factorization (PMF) was applied to our total deposition database in order to
identify the main sources of nutrients and trace metals deposited. Results
show that P deposition is mainly associated with anthropogenic biomass burning
inputs. For N deposition, inputs associated with marine sources (maybe
associated with the reaction of anthropogenic N on NaCl particles) and
anthropogenic sources are quasi-similar. A good correlation is obtained
between N and S fluxes, supporting a common origin associated with
inorganic secondary aerosol, i.e., ammonium sulfate. For trace metals, their
origin is very variable: with a large contribution of natural dust sources
for Ni or Mn and conversely of anthropogenic sources for V and Zn.