Seasonal variations in dustfall and its iron content over North China

Extensive dustfall collections were carried out from April 2001 to May 2002 in North China. The highest level of dustfall occurred in the Gobi deserts and at the margins of sandy deserts in the region. The iron content in dustfall in North China varied from 0.6% to 6.0% and there was significant seasonal variation, which indicates the dust sources differed during the year. Although the iron content in dustfall in North China is higher in the Loess Plateau and arable lands and lower in the Gobi and sandy deserts, the total iron deposition was higher in the Gobi desert regions. If the fine particles (PM10) in dustfall in North China are the major contributors of dust transport to eastern China and western parts of the North Pacific, then the annual deposition rates of iron may have been underestimated in previous studies. Our analysis indicates that iron deposition may reach 1.38 x 10(3) to 2.43 x 10(3) kg km(-2) and that most iron deposition occurs in spring and summer. If the more-coarse fractions (PM50) are considered, deposition rates may reach 2.75 x 10(3) and 6.80 x 10(3) kg km(-2), which would represent a large source of iron deposition in eastern China and the western North Pacific.