Chemical characteristics and precipitation fluxes of soot transported to Japan

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23655140
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental chemistry
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: TSURUMI Makoto 弘前大学, 大学院・理工学研究科, 教授 (70111680)
• Project Period (FY): 2011
• Keywords: 微量環境物質評価 / スス / 早期融雪 / 越境汚染 / 黒い雪

Research Abstract

Chemical characteristics and precipitation fluxes of soot samples were evaluated for weekly collected bulk precipitation by ion chromatograph and for the filtered soot with weighing balance. The precipitation flux of the soot in Japan has not been clarified. The samples were collected during one year, in Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. The flux of the soot was estimated as similar amount as the flux of yellow sand in Japan. Weekly chloride ion concentrations are correlated to the fluxes of soots, suggesting that both the soots and the chloride ions were carried with the winter prevailing winds from west and, thus, that the soots come from the china continent. Possible reasons for this observation should be discussed in detail. To examin also the relation between the soot precipitation and the wind direction, the samples must be collected over the Japan Sea.