PIXE Analysis of Yellow Sand Dust Particles

Abstract

A large amount of yellow sand dust from Asian continent is blown across Japan Sea into Japan, especially in spring season. In addition, atmospheric turbid conditions are occasionally observed in spring without the influence of yellow sand dust particles in recent years over western part of Japan. To understand such turbid conditions, we collected aerosols at Nagasaki in western part of japan. Aerosol samples were analyzed by in-air PIXE system at Tohoku University. As aresult, time dependence of the density of fine particles were related to that of elemental concentrations of sulfur which were transported from the Asian continent.