ION COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOL NEAR LAKE BAIKAL

The main purpose of this study was to measure the ion composition of a tmospheric aerosol near Lake Baikal together with the number size dist ribution of particles with diameters ranging from a few nanometres to about 30 mum. All measurements of the properties of atmospheric aeroso l were followed by conventional meteorological observations. The mean aerosol number concentration was 5700 cm-3, the mean mass concentratio n about 20 mug m-3. Among the cations the main contribution to the tot al aerosol mass is from calcium and among the anions, by sulfate. The size distribution number and mass concentrations, and the ion composit ion, of the aerosol near Lake Baikal are similar to the remote contine ntal aerosol described in the literature.