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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Composition and Distribution Analysis of Bioaerosols Under Different Environmental Conditions
Published on: January 7, 2019
The contribution from distant dust sources to the atmospheric particulate matter loadings at XiAn, China during
Y Q Wang1, X Y Zhang, R Arimoto
1Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Centre for Atmosphere Watch and Services, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China. wangyq@cams.cma.gov.cn
Abstract:
Mass concentration data for PM(10) (particulate matter, PM, less than 10 mum) combined with an air mass back-trajectory clustering technique, a potential source contribution function (PSCF) model, and a concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) method were used to evaluate the transport pathways and sources of XiAn PM(10) in spring 2001 to 2003. Three dust source areas: "Northwesterly Sources," "Northerly Sources," and a "Loess Plateau Source" and an anthropogenic "Southerly Source" contributing to the high particulate matter concentrations at XiAn were identified using these methods. The CWT method provided more compelling information on dust sources than the PSCF model, but there are clear advantages to using multiple interpretive tools. A comparison of the major dust transport pathways shows differences for XiAn versus Beijing, with "Northwesterly Sources" more important for XiAn and arid and semi-arid regions in Mongolia more important for Beijing.
