Size distribution measurements of suspended particulate matter in Ponce, Puerto Rico

✍ Scribed by Rafael Infante; Arnaldo Carrasquillo; Vidal Pérez

• Book ID: 103976412
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 460 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0957-1272
• DOI: 10.1016/0957-1272(90)90033-q

✦ Synopsis

Size distribution measurements using a high volume sampler with a cascade impactor have been obtained for the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1985 to 1987. The data indicate that the concentration of particles < 2/~m in diameter remained constant during the sampling period while the concentration of particles > 7 #m showed time variations. Aerosol from this area is greatly composed of particles > 7 #m in diameter, they accounted for over 45% of the Total Suspended Particulate (TSP) of this area. Over 75% of the aerosol concentration is from particles > 3.3 ~m, approximately only 20% of the aerosol concentration is from particles < 2 #m in diameter. A linear relationship was observed between the different particle size and the TSP, except for those particles < 1.1 ~m in size. The size distribution and its time variation are explained in terms of local sources such as agricultural burning, natural contributions and industrial activities, as well as contribution from the Sahara haze that crosses the Atlantic from Africa and reaches the Caribbean region during the summer.