Features of atmospheric aerosol particles in Katowice, Poland

The mass-size distributions of ambient acrosols were measured in 1989 and 1993 in Katowice, the capital town of Upper Silesia, a highly industrialized Polish region. Each measurement indicated that the multi-modes were present in size distribution depending on wind direction and speed. Also significant differences in the hygroscopic properties of atmospheric aerosol particles, depending on the wind direction, were observed in microscopic investigations of collected particles. This research suggests that the aerosol particles are not well mixed and are influenced by the distribution of antrophogenic sources in Katowice and its surrounding areas. Time change in mass concentration of aerosols between 1989 and 1993 was also reported.