Characteristics in concentration of chemical species in ambient air based on three-year monitoring by filter pack method

Continuous monitoring of concentrations of particulate matter and gaseous compounds for three years by a four-stage filter-pack method clarified the characteristics in the concentrations of chemical species in particulate matter and gaseous compounds in ambient air in Kobe, Japan. The amount of materials in blank filters was low enough for this method to be used for the monitoring of ambient air. Little or none of the hydrogen chloride was derived anthropogenically. The concentrations of both particulate sulfate and sulfur dioxide in spring and summer were significantly higher than those in autumn and winter. The concentration of gaseous nitric acid was high in summer, which suggests that active photochemical reactions in the atmosphere provided more nitrogen species in summer. The measured concentration products [HNO3][NH3] showed good agreement with the theoretical predictions with some exceptions. The total concentration of ammonium species showed no significant seasonal variation except that the concentration in winter was low. The concentration of nss-Ca2+ in spring was significantly higher than that in the other seasons, which is most likely associated with the so-called yellow-sand events. The concentrations of nss-K+ and nss-Ca2+ accounted for most of K+ and Ca2+, respectively, whereas that of nss-Mg2+ accounted for only 5% of Mg2+.