Trace elements in aerosol and precipitation at New Castle, NH, USA

Concentrations of a suite of trace elements (Al, Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, Zn) were measured in aerosol and precipitation samples collected at a coastal site in New Castle, NH, from August 1996, through July 1997. Metal concentrations in aerosol and precipitation exhibit a high degree of temporal variability over the annual cycle, varying by approximately one order of magnitude or less for aerosol metals and by 2–3 orders of magnitude in precipitation. Estimates of the total annual atmospheric deposition of metals to the Gulf of Maine range from 103 kg yr−1 for Ag, 104–105 kg yr−1 for the majority of metals, and 106 kg yr−1 for the crustal elements Al and Fe.