Isotopic composition of aerosol iron from anthropogenic sources: implications for source apportionment of aerosol iron
- 1Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (Guangzhou, China)
- 2Tianjin University (Tianjin, China)
Abstract
Aerosol iron (Fe) significantly impacts human health, atmospheric chemistry and marine biogeochemistry. The stable isotope ratio of Fe, typically reported as δ ⁵⁶ Fe, has emerged as a promising method for source apportionment of total and soluble aerosol Fe. However, the δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember values remain poorly constrained for aerosol Fe from various non-dust sources, impeding the application of Fe isotopes in atmospheric research. This work measured isotopic compositions for aerosol Fe from desert dust and several anthropogenic sources. The average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was determined to be +0.14 ‰ ± 0.10 ‰ for the seven dust samples we examined, in good agreement with previous work. We found that different anthropogenic aerosols exhibit a wide range of Fe isotopic composition. Compared to desert dust, the average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was found to be higher for power plant coal fly ash (+0.26 ‰ ± 0.18 ‰, n =28), slightly lower for steelwork fly ash (−0.07 ‰ ± 0.41 ‰, n =18), and considerably lower for biofuel burning aerosol (−0.28 ‰ ± 0.39 ‰, n =11). In addition, the average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was determined to be +0.20 ‰ ± 0.12 ‰ for municipal incineration fly ash ( n =2), +0.38 ‰ ± 0.13 ‰ for heavy oil bottom ash ( n =1), and +0.08 ‰ ± 0.13 ‰ for certificated urban particulate matter sample ( n =1). We suggest that not all the anthropogenic aerosol Fe is isotopically lighter than natural dust Fe, in contrast to what is conventionally assumed. Our findings also imply that Fe isotope-based source apportionment must account for the δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember variability both among and within different anthropogenic aerosols. Overall, our work substantially improves our ability to constrain δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember values for various anthropogenic sources.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026isotopic,
title = {{Isotopic composition of aerosol iron from anthropogenic sources: implications for source apportionment of aerosol iron}},
author = {Yifan Zhang and Guanhong Zhu and Rui Li and Mingyuan Liu and Yi Yang and Tianyu Zhang and Yizhu Chen and Jinlong Ma and Xinming Wang and Mingjin Tang},
journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5194/acp-26-14073-2026},
url = {https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/14073/2026/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Isotopic composition of aerosol iron from anthropogenic sources: implications for source apportionment of aerosol iron
AU - Yifan Zhang
AU - Guanhong Zhu
AU - Rui Li
AU - Mingyuan Liu
AU - Yi Yang
AU - Tianyu Zhang
AU - Yizhu Chen
AU - Jinlong Ma
AU - Xinming Wang
AU - Mingjin Tang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
DO - 10.5194/acp-26-14073-2026
UR - https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/26/14073/2026/
AB - Aerosol iron (Fe) significantly impacts human health, atmospheric chemistry and marine biogeochemistry. The stable isotope ratio of Fe, typically reported as δ ⁵⁶ Fe, has emerged as a promising method for source apportionment of total and soluble aerosol Fe. However, the δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember values remain poorly constrained for aerosol Fe from various non-dust sources, impeding the application of Fe isotopes in atmospheric research. This work measured isotopic compositions for aerosol Fe from desert dust and several anthropogenic sources. The average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was determined to be +0.14 ‰ ± 0.10 ‰ for the seven dust samples we examined, in good agreement with previous work. We found that different anthropogenic aerosols exhibit a wide range of Fe isotopic composition. Compared to desert dust, the average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was found to be higher for power plant coal fly ash (+0.26 ‰ ± 0.18 ‰, n =28), slightly lower for steelwork fly ash (−0.07 ‰ ± 0.41 ‰, n =18), and considerably lower for biofuel burning aerosol (−0.28 ‰ ± 0.39 ‰, n =11). In addition, the average δ ⁵⁶ Fe was determined to be +0.20 ‰ ± 0.12 ‰ for municipal incineration fly ash ( n =2), +0.38 ‰ ± 0.13 ‰ for heavy oil bottom ash ( n =1), and +0.08 ‰ ± 0.13 ‰ for certificated urban particulate matter sample ( n =1). We suggest that not all the anthropogenic aerosol Fe is isotopically lighter than natural dust Fe, in contrast to what is conventionally assumed. Our findings also imply that Fe isotope-based source apportionment must account for the δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember variability both among and within different anthropogenic aerosols. Overall, our work substantially improves our ability to constrain δ ⁵⁶ Fe endmember values for various anthropogenic sources.
SN - 1680-7324
ER -