Particulate sulfate levels at a rural site in Israel

Ambient particulate sulfate measurements have been intermittently performed at a rural site in Israel over a period of more than two years. Concurrent measurements of ambient pollutants (SO₂, NO-NO_x, and O₃), as well as meteorological data, were also carried out. The daily data included four particulate sulfate samples representing four successive 6 h accumulating periods. The measured concentrations of sulfate ions ranged from a low 2 μg m^-3 observed during the winter season to a high of >50 μg m^-3 obtained during the summer. Little correlation was obtained between the sulfate concentration and either O₃ or SO₂, although sulfate and O₃ showed a similar diurnal and annual trend. Based on the data distribution and on a photochemical model, it was concluded that a large part of the particulate sulfate observed at the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea must be related to long-range transport from distant sources.