PM10 measurements at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

PM10 aerosols at McMurdo Station, Antarctica were sampled continuously duri ng the austral summers of 1995-1996 and 1996-1997. PM10 (particles with aer odynamic diameters less than 10 mum) mass concentrations at Hut Point, loca ted less than 1 km from downtown McMurdo, averaged 3.4 mug m(-3) more than an order of magnitude lower than the USEPA annual average National Ambient Air anality Standard (NAAQS) of 50 mug m(-3). Concentrations of methanesulf onate and nitrate were similar to those measured at other Antarctic coastal sites. Non-sea-salt sulfate (NSS) concentrations on Ross Island were highe r than those found at other coastal locations. The average elemental carbon concentration (129 ng m(-3)) downwind of the station was two orders of mag nitude higher than those measured at remote coastal and inland Antarctic si tes during summer. Average sulfur dioxide concentrations (746 ng m(-3)) wer e 3-44 times higher than those reported for coastal Antarctica. Concentrati ons of Ph and Zn were 17 and 46 times higher than those reported for the So uth Pole. A methanesulfonate to biogenic sulfate ratio (R) of 0.47 was deri ved that is consistent with the proposed temperature dependence of R. (C) 2 001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.