Characteristics of carbonaceous components in precipitation and atmospheric particle at Japanese sites

A methodology for the collection and analysis of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in precipitation was established and the monitoring of OC and EC in precipitation and aerosol was implemented at the Niigata (rural), Sado (remote), and Tokyo (urban) sites in Japan. The OC in precipitation was measured for water-insoluble OC (WIOC) and water-soluble OC (WSOC) separately. The concentrations of EC and WIOC in precipitation were 78.9 μg/l and 657 μg/l at the Tokyo site, 26.0 μg/l and 274 μg/l at the Sado site, 24.6 μg/l and 274 at the Niigata site. The ratio of EC to OC in the precipitation and aerosol samples were the highest at Tokyo site. The scavenging ratio of OC was higher than EC, implying that OC was more easily removed from the atmosphere compared to EC. The high concentrations of EC in precipitation in winter and spring at the Sado site were mainly due to the long-range transport from the Northeast Asian Continent, whereas at the Tokyo site the high level of EC concentration was mainly from domestic emissions. The seasonal variation of EC and OC in precipitation in East Asia was obtained for the first time. The major source for the high EC concentrations in precipitation at the Sado site in winter was ascribed to the fuel combustion, but in spring, it may be the result of biomass burning in the Northeast of the continent.