Origins of atmospheric particulate matter over the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

During the ANT VII/1 cruise of the RV Polarstern from Bremerhaven (Germany) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), atmospheric particulate matter was collected by bulk filtration with a time step of 36 hours. Elemental analyses were performed in order to determine atmospheric aerosol concentrations of Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, and Zn over the North Sea, the Channel, and the North and South Atlantic. The slight and continuous moving in latitude, associated with the large variability in concentration levels and chemical composition, allow us to point out the relative influence of the major sources of particulate matter: desert soil-dust in the tropical North Atlantic, anthropogenic emissions in the North Sea and the Channel, and biomass burning and continental biogenic activity in the tropical South Atlantic.