Zixiao Guo

Tracing anthropogenic aerosol emissions by Zn and Pb isotopes in south-east England

PhD project title:

Tracing anthropogenic aerosol emissions by Zn and Pb isotopes in south-east England. 

Project description:

Zixiao Guo PhD

The proportion of anthropogenic aerosols in the atmosphere is increasing due to extensive human activity. Aerosols are important to the global biosphere, climate, and public health because of their wide dispersion. The distinction between anthropogenic and natural aerosols, as well as the tracing of anthropogenic aerosols, is extremely important.
 
The aerosol samples I am working on are originate from the Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory (50° 19.08’ N, 4° 11.35’ W). By comparing historical wind direction data from Penlee Point with the back trajectory simulations of the HYSPLIT model, I identified the directional sources of the aerosols and categorized them into three sources. These categories are: (1) aerosols representative of urban areas from the north and northeast, (2) aerosols from the open ocean areas to the west and southwest, and (3) aerosols representative of the shipping lanes from the southeast. The bulk digest and leachate samples will be analysed for multi-element trace metal concentrations by ICP-MS. Subsequently, the isotopic concentrations of Zn (δ66/64Zn), Cu (δ65/63Cu), and Pb (208Pb/207Pb and 206Pb/207Pb). will be analyzed by MC-ICP-MS. 
 
My aims are: 1) discern the extent of influence that human activities in the UK have on the isotopic composition of Zn, Cu, and Pb in aerosols; 2) test the hypothesis that anthropogenic sources can be traced via differences in the Pb, Zn and Cu isotope compositions between natural and anthropogenic end-members.

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