Magnetic characteristics of dustfall in urban area of north China and its environmental significance

Urban particulate pollutants not only affect urban air quality but also directly threaten public health. Lanzhou has been one of the most seriously polluted cities in the world due to its special geophysical location and weather conditions, which makes it an ideal place for urban particulate pollution study. In this study a set of environmental magnetic parameters (chi (lf), chi (fd)%, chi (ARM), SIRM, HIRM, SOFT and back field IRM) were measured and analyzed for the dustfall samples collected monthly during 1997.4-2000.5 and 2004.11-2005.10 at Lanzhou University campus (KLD and CCS) and at a clear site of Gaolanxian (GLX). Results demonstrate that the main magnetic minerals in the dustfall are magnetite, with some maghaemite and haematite. Cross plots of M (rs)/M (s) vs. B (cr)/B (c) and chi (fd)% vs. chi (ARM)/SIRM indicate that the main magnetic grain sizes are pseudo-single-domain (PSD). The high concentration of magnetic minerals in the dustfall indicates that Lanzhou is seriously polluted. The main pollution sources are anthropogenic activities and nature dust, with the former posing a great threat during the whole year, which is different from the general view that the natural dust is the main contributor in summer. With great efforts of the government and local authority in the past decades, the air quality in Lanzhou has been improved in winter, but it is not so obvious in summer. This study also reveals that as a simple, rapid and accurate technology, environmental magnetism could be a valuable tool for urban pollution study.