MOSSBAUER STUDY OF IRON-CONTAINING ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS

The Mossbauer technique was applied to study the seasonal variations of iron concentration in atmospheric air. The concentration of iron in air was calculated by the "area method" from the experimental spectra obtained. From the shapes of the Mossbauer spectra it was concluded that iron appears as Fe2O3 in the form of ultrafine particles in the superparamagnetic state. The measurements as a function of temperature (from 300 to 75 K) made it possible to estimate the size of iron-containing aerosol particles. Correlation of the seasonal variations of iron concentration with meteroite activity was discussed. This method was applied also in investigations of iron concentration variations with air radioactivity due to nuclear explosions performed in the atmosphere. Attempts were made to find a relation between air pollution and the concentration of iron in the air.