Large-scale distribution of elements in Chinese aerosol

In spite of increasing attention on Chinese aerosol, there has never been a country-wide survey of its general characteristics. This paper presents elemental data for aerosol at 23 sites in and around China, mostly drawn from the literature, and shows some of the large-scale patterns. Al, Na, and Se are used to represent the crustal, marine, and pollution components, respectively. Most of the patterns are aligned in SW–NE. Al and Na are highest to the NW and the SE, respectively, and their ratio changes rapidly near the coast. Se has a broad maximum over Central China, and the Se/Al ratio (an indicator of pollution vs. crustal aerosol) increases progressively from the NW to the SE. A simple index for simulating pollution aerosol, which uses population density, annual precipitation, and mean wind speed, adequately reproduces the large-scale pattern of pollution aerosol and shows how crustal Al in the NW gradually gives way to flyash Al toward the SE.