Significance of trace metal medium-range transport in the western Mediterranean

Atmospheric particulate matter is sampled at the coastal site of Vignola (west Corsica). The mean airborne concentrations of eight trace metals (Al: 109; Cd: 0.11; Cu: 1.9; Fe: 119.5; Mn: 1.7; Ni: 0.97; Pb: 8.8 and Zn: 11.8 ng/m3) are very similar to those found at other coastal sites of western Mediterranean islands. On the other hand, continental coastal sites of the western basin are characterized by a different series of trace metal concentrations. It is assumed that in part, land-based anthropogenic emissions are associated with small particles, whose residence time in the atmosphere may be sufficient to reach the open sea and the coasts of Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. These islands are supposed to be sheltered from significant external anthropogenic activities, and these particles may constitute a fairly uniform aerosol.