Characteristics of water-soluble inorganic chemical components in size-resolved airborne particulate matters--Sheffield, UK.

To characterise the water-soluble inorganic components of PM(10) in the urban area of Sheffield, size-resolved aerosol samples were collected using an electric low pressure impactor (ELPI) during a 13-day sampling campaign in October and November 2006. Cl(-), NO(3)(-), SO(4)(2-), and NH(4)(+) were determined by ion chromatography, and Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), and Ca(2+) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Back trajectories analyses revealed that the air masses could be classified into two main groups.