Hesam Ahmady-Birgani - Faculty of Natural resources, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

It is generally assumed that severe dust events in western Iran could be responsible for elevated levels of toxic and radioactive elements in the region. Over a period of sampling, dust particles in the size range PM10 (i.e. <10 micrometers) were collected from the western Iran. The aim of research was to compare chemical compositions of dust and aerosol samples collected during the dust events from the different regions. Results of ICP-MS analysis of components indicated that during dust events the concentrations of major elements such as Ca, Mg, Al and K increased. Toxic trace elements that are generally ascribed to human activities, including industrial and urban pollution, are thus proportionately more abundant in the dust under calm conditions than during dust events. The variability of chemical species during the dust events, noted by tracking the dust plumes in satellite images, was also assessed and the results related to the different source areas, namely the dry lands of north-western Iraq and the desert areas of south-eastern Syria, some parts of Kuwait and KSA countries (around the Persian Gulf). Generally, the results show, different source regions across the Middle East have individual chemical compositions with different abundances.

Dust-prone regions, Dust particles, Source fingerprinting, Middle East