From December 1984 to June 1988, 71 aerosol samples were collected from the R/V Belgica on the North Sea and the English Channel. Quantitative airborne concentrations for Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, NO3-, SO42- and NH4 + were obtained by X-ray fluorescence and ion chromatography analysis. Background concentrations for anthropogenic and continental elements, measured in the northern part of the North Sea during north-west wind and at the border of the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean during south-west wind, are a factor of 5 to 50 lower than the concentrations measured in the Southern Bight. Maximum concentrations occur during east wind combined with low temperature inversion height. |