PIXE METHODS AND SEA-AIR EXCHANGE OF MATERIALS

The characterization of aerosols in the marine coastal environment is complicated by the interference effects present both in the marine sou rce and in the sink. Thus, the analysis of aerosol composition in this specific environment needs a special experimental setup and the use o f suitable analytical techniques. Among these techniques, PIXE-based m ethods are particularly useful. The aim of this paper is to show how a nd to what extent PIXE and similar trace element oriented analytical a nd microanalytical methods (TEAM) can contribute to the clarification of some special problems in this field of research. After a short hist orical introduction we will briefly discuss the general problem of mod elling aerosol processes in the coastal environment and we will also r eview some recent experimental results obtained using the AN2000 accel erator of the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of the INFN. The results concern: (a) the study of enrichment in laboratory simulated marine a erosol production; (b) single particle detection using the 1.3 mu m AN 2000 Microprobe of LNL; and (c) comparison of Microprobe data with ana logous SEM measurements.