Abstract
Aerosol samples were collected in Al-Hashimya, Jordan, over a 1-yr period from August 2000 to August 2001, and trace-element concentrations were measured. The coarse and fine fractions of the aerosol were collected separately. In most samples, the concentrations of titanium, aluminum, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, sodium, potassium, silver, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, antimony, vanadium, and zinc were above their detection limits, and the concentrations were more often lognormally distributed than normally distributed. Except for Cd and Zn, the concentrations of anthropogenic elements were two to ten times lower than those measured in other urban areas. The concentrations of crustal elements in the coarse fraction were higher during summer than during winter, but no significant differences were observed in the fine fraction. The winter-to-summer concentration ratios for Zn, Ag, Cr, Cu, V, Fe, and Mn were larger than unity in both the fine and coarse fractions. The concentrations of Al, Mg, Ca, Na, Ni, and Cr increased with wind speed, while the concentrations of Fe, Mn, Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Sb, and V decreased with wind speed. The elements that showed strong enrichment included Pb, Zn, Cd, Sb, and Ag in both the fine and coarse fractions. Factor analysis identified four source groups: oil combustion, crustal and urban dust, smelting operations, and motor vehicle emissions.