Characterization and implication of potential fugitive dust sources in the Paso del Norte region

A series of analyses were performed to provide chemical signatures for surface soils and to evaluate potential sources of fugitive dust in the Paso del Norte (PdN) region. Eighteen sites were selected for soil sampling based on an assessment of the soil types in the region and the main upwind source areas with a potential for wind erosion. Analyses of the soil samples provided chemical ‘fingerprints’ of the surface soil that are presumed responsible for much of the fugitive dust loading in the region. Analysis of chemical data through multivariate statistical techniques combined with information on lithologic units, soil types, and enrichment factors identified several groups of elements associated with either natural or anthropogenic origins. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis defined four groups of elements while a redundancy analysis implied a strong association between certain elements (Ag, As, Cd, Mo, Mn, Pb, Sb) and an anthropogenic point source in the region. The conclusions from the statistical analyses are further supported by the enrichment factor (EF) analysis, using aluminum as the reference element. That is, a group of presumed anthropogenic trace elements had their highest EFs in the fine size fraction at a site close to the anthropogenic point source. Thus, the statistical analyses of surface soil data provide a useful means for quantifying the extent of anthropogenic perturbations and for highlighting some implications of contaminated fugitive dust sources.