Measurements of Water-Soluble Ions in Particulate Matter 2.5 in Polish Rural Areas: Identifying Possible Sources

Limited data on rural Poland's atmospheric ion concentrations exists, with no publicly available monitoring data in urban areas. These knowledge gaps hinder the comparison of concentrations across environments and the identification of their sources. This study examines water-soluble ions across five rural locations in Poland over four years to investigate their concentrations and sources in the atmosphere. This study explores aerosol origins, performing a four-year correlation analysis across five locations to reveal ion relationships. Notably, sulfate (SO₄²⁻), nitrate (NO₃⁻), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) exhibit significant correlations ranging from 0.3 to 0.8, suggesting a common pollution source in all analyzed rural locations. Interestingly, magnesium (Mg²⁺) and sodium (Na⁺) in two locations demonstrated a strong correlation, ranging between 0.4 and 0.9, suggesting the influence of sea spray on these sites. Principal component analysis is used to investigate the factors influencing ion concentrations, revealing distinctive patterns for each location and explaining the total variances ranging from 74.9% to 84.8%. This underscores the significance of geographical and environmental factors. The study's novelty lies in its thorough and long-term analysis of water-soluble ion concentrations across rural Poland, providing an extensive dataset for the region. The study fills a data gap on rural pollution sources and reveals consistent ion patterns across different sites and seasons. The findings emphasize geographical and environmental impacts on aerosol composition and suggest common pollution sources for all areas. This research encourages further investigations into the stability and origins of ions in rural environments, providing valuable insights for local and broader atmospheric studies.