Micro-PIXE study of tropospheric aerosols in an Antarctic coastal environment

Two thousands aerosol particles belonging to three size-segregated samples of (coarse fraction) Antarctic tropospheric aerosol were analyzed by micro-PIXE. Elemental composition data were submitted to Principal Component Analysis, and three principal components (PC) were determined. These PCs were (geochemically) identified by means of their elemental profile and of their correlations with elements as: “sea-salt”, “crustal” and a (unexpected) “P+Ca” component, possibly originated by ornithogenic cryosols. Micro-PIXE proved to be a useful tool in the study of the above aerosols. Work is being undertaken to extend the study to a wider aerosol size range.