Experimental Studies of Aerosols in the Atmosphere of Semiarid Landscapes of Kalmykia: 2. Landscape–Geochemical Composition of Aerosol Particles

Abstract

The chemical composition of aerosol particles in the atmospheric surface layer of semiarid regions of Kalmykia is considered. Background landscapes of dry steppes, sandy massifs, and salt marshes have been studied using a landscape–geochemical approach. The results of long-term complex experimental studies (2002–2016) of the elemental composition of surface aerosols, the morphology and chemical composition of soils, and the elemental composition of aerosol particles in the atmospheric surface layer have been summarized. Soils have been confirmed to be the main sources of aerosol emission in semiarid regions. The accumulation of chemical elements in soils and aerosol particles has been estimated. The concentration clarks, aerosol-concentration coefficients, and local aerosol concentration have been calculated. The content of sulfur and some heavy metals in aerosols, which enter into the atmosphere by both removal from the underlying surface and from local anthropogenic sources, has been found to be high.