Trace Element Concentrations in Qingdao and Bohai Sea Aerosols

Yang Zhou's dataset contains measurements of trace elements like Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, and Cd in PM2.5 aerosols. It compares concentrations from the coastal city of Qingdao with adjacent offshore regions of the Bohai and Yellow Seas during spring and summer 2018. The 106.2 KB XLSX file quantifies source contributions from terrestrial dust, coal combustion, ship emissions, and sea salt.

Use Cases

• Quantify source contributions for specific elements like Fe, Mn, and Cr using the provided percentage data from dust, coal combustion, and ship emissions.
• Analyze seasonal shifts in concentrations of Zn, Pb, As, and Cd between coastal Qingdao and offshore marine areas.
• Model the spatial variability of trace elements across the land-sea gradient using location-specific concentration data in ng m-3.
• Investigate the role of ship emissions by examining their dominant contributions to Ni and V (e.g., 81.2% for V in spring).
• Assess multi-source mixing by evaluating sea salt contributions to Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, and Pb (18.5–33.6%) in spring offshore aerosols.

Strengths

• Includes concentration data for 10 trace elements (Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cd) in ng m-3.
• Provides quantified source contribution percentages for key elements across different locations and seasons.
• Covers a defined spatial gradient from a coastal city (Qingdao) to two offshore marine areas (Bohai and Yellow Seas).
• Contains data from two distinct sampling seasons (spring and summer 2018).

Limitations

• The dataset is small at 106.2 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a low row count.
• Temporal coverage is restricted to two seasons in a single year (2018), limiting long-term trend analysis.
• Geographic focus is specific to eastern China's Qingdao coast and adjacent seas, reducing generalizability.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Yang Zhou.

Collection Method

PM2.5 aerosol samples collected and analyzed for trace element concentrations.

Time Range

Spring and summer 2018.

Freshness

Data was collected in 2018; the record was last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Coastal Qingdao (eastern China) and adjacent offshore regions of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.