Chemical composition of airborne particles at tsukuba, Japan-seasonal variations and size distributions -

The daily airborne particles of the surface air at Tsukuba Science City, Japan were collected for one year in 1982. The seasonal variation of the concentration of each chemical component as well as its distribution in the particles of various sizes (< 1.6 μm, 1.6-3.7 μm 1, 3.7-8 μm, 8-18 μm and > 18 μm) was observed. Sulfate, lead and zinc mainly distributed in the smallest particles throughout the year. Chloride and nitrate were higher in the smaller particles in winter and higher in the larger particles in summer. Some discussions were done on the distiribution of these components, considering their sources and the meteorological condistions.