Abstract
MAN-INDUCED changes affecting the trace metal composition of seawater through river runoff have their initial effects in coastal regions close to the source of pollution. It is now recognized, however1,2, that atmospheric transport can introduce pollutants directly to the open ocean. There are still few data on the trace metal compositions of atmospheric particulates from oceanic areas and those that are available3–5 are from latitudinally restricted locations. Recently, we have carried out a sampling programme6–8 in which particulates have been collected from seawater and from the lower atmosphere (∼15 m above the sea surface) over large tracts of the world ocean. The collection details have been described elsewhere6 and here we present data on the concentration of Pb in atmospheric particulates collected along the length of the Atlantic Ocean from a variety of air masses. The results are listed in Table 1, and the ship's track is shown in Fig. 1.
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References
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Chester, R., Gardner, D., Riley, J. P., and Stoner, J. H., Mar. Poll. Bull., 4, 28 (1973).
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CHESTER, R., STONER, J. Pb in Particulates from the Lower Atmosphere of the Eastern Atlantic. Nature 245, 27–28 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/245027b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/245027b0
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