Elemental composition of PM2.5 aerosols in Queens, New York: Evaluation of sources of fine-particle mass

As a part of the PM2.5 Technology Assessment and Characterization Study-New York (PMTACS-NY) daily aerosol samples were collected from July 2001 to December 2004 at three NY sites: urban Queens, and rural Pinnacle State Park, and Whiteface Mountain lodge. Sulfate was determined on all samples while the 2001 and 2002 samples also had 15 metals determined: Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sb, and Pb. This is the second of a set of papers that deals with the composition of fine particulate matter at the urban site in Queens, NY. We use the large daily elemental database to explore the inter-elemental relationships with statistical methods and air trajectories on a seasonal basis to glean insight into the regional and local area sources impacting Metropolitan NY.