RELATION BETWEEN AEROSOL SOURCES AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS FOR INHALABLE ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLES IN SAO-PAULO CITY, BRAZIL

Stacked filter units were used to collect atmospheric particles in sep arate coarse and fine fractions at the Sao Paulo University Campus dur ing the winter of 1989. The samples were analysed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and the data were subjected to an absolute princ ipal component analysis (APCA). Five sources were identified for the f ine particles: industrial emissions, which accounted for 13% of the fi ne mass; emissions from residual oil and diesel, explaining 41%; resus pended soil dust, with 18%; and emissions of Cu and of Mg, together wi th 18%. For the coarse particles, four sources were identified: soil d ust, accounting for 59% of the coarse mass; industrial emissions, with 19%; oil burning, with 8%: and sea salt aerosol, with 14% of the coar se mass. A data set with various meteorological parameters was also su bjected to APCA, and a correlation analysis was performed between the meteorological ''absolute principal component scores'' (APCS) and the APCS from the fine and coarse particle data sets. The soil dust source s for the fine and coarse aerosol were highly correlated with each oth er and were anticorrelated with the sea breeze component. The industri al components in the fine and coarse size fractions were also highly p ositively correlated. Furthermore, the industrial component was relate d with the northeasterly wind direction and, to a lesser extent, with the sea breeze component.