EVALUATION OF GAS-PHASE AND PARTICULATE COMPONENTS RELEVANT TO POLAR TROPOSPHERIC PROCESSES

The measurement of atmospheric trace components relevant to atmospheric chemistry, in gas phase and particulate matter, was carried out in the Antarctica troposphere during the Antarctic summer 1990-91. The determinations were carried out by sampling air through a diffusion denuder/filter pack sampling system, followed by extraction and analysis by ion chromatography. Through the analysis of the mass distribution of anions, an accurate and sensitive method for the measurement of several important species was provided. Results show that sulfur dioxide, nitric acid, sulfates, nitrates and other significant compounds might be well characterized, even at concentration levels as low as a few parts per trillions, thus providing a highly significant and consistent data set for the study of polar atmospheric chemistry.