Characteristics of metals in the aerosols of Zhongshan Station, Antarctica

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to analyze the bulk, high-volume aerosol samples, collected at Zhongshan Station in the Eastern Antarctica, during 1998-2001, to study the chemical species. .A graphical technique was applied to the INAA data. Results showed that Na, Cl, Mg, Ca, Sr, Br, I, Sr and Rb were marine elements while Al, Sc, Fe and Mn were crustal elements. Compared to marine and crustal elements, five elements (Se、Co、Sb、Zn、Cr) were highly abundant in the aerosols collected at Zhongshan station, which indicated that they might come from the petroleum burning, heating and equipment operation. The presence of pollutant elements suggested that human activities have affected the local environments in Antarctica.