Sources of PM10 and sulfate aerosol at McMurdo station, Antarctica

Source contributions to PM10 and sulfate aerosol at McMurdo Station, Antarc tica during the austral summers of 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 were estimated u sing Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) receptor modeling. The average PM10 (parti cles with aerodynamic diameters less than 10 mum) concentration at Hut Poin t, located less than 1 km downwind of downtown McMurdo, was 3.4 mug/m(3). E missions profiles were determined for potentially important aerosol source types in McMurdo: exposed soil, power generation, space heating, and surfac e vehicles. Soil dust, sea salt, combustion emissions, sulfates, marine bio genic emissions as methanesulfonate, and nitrates contributed 57%, 15%, 14% , 10%, 3%, and 1%, respectively, of average estimated PM10 at Hut Point (3. 2 mug/m(3)). Soil dust, sea salt, and combustion sources contributed 12%, 8 %, and 20%, respectively, of the average PM10 sulfate concentration of 0.46 mug/m(3). Marine biogenic sources contributed 0.17 mug/m(3) (37%). The rem aining sulfate is thought to have come from emissions from Mt. Erebus or he mispheric pollution sources. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights rese rved.