ABSTRACT

The effect of wind on how the entrained particles (aerosols) drift from one place to another during the harmattan seasons of two different years (2017 and 2018) was considered in two locations within Umuahia in Abia state of Nigeria. The entrained particles were collected using various suitable collectors. The masses of the collected aerosols were measured using the analytical machine and their volumes were measured using various 1ml syringes. The aerosols were digested in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Chemistry Laboratory using a beaker and Amacher method. The Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used for the elemental analysis of the digested aerosols. The weather parameters of interest were collected from the Center for Atmospheric Research Anyimgba in Kogi State of Nigeria. The masses of the aerosols collected in Umudike ranged from 0.016g to 0.355g while those collected in Ubakala ranged from 0.033g to 0.297g, and the volumes for Umudike ranged from 0.025ml to 0.488ml while those for Ubakala ranged from 0.050ml to 0.475ml. The elemental ions with their various concentrations characterized using the AAS were found to be Aluminum, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Nickel and Zinc. The concentrations for the elemental ions in Umudike ranged from 0.00 to 826.21mg/kg while those in Ubakala ranged from 0.58 to 1428.57mg/kg. The behaviour of the atomic masses (ranging from 30g/mol to 207g/mol) of the elemental ions with their concentrations (ranging from 0 to 1428.57mg/kg) was found to be different which may be due to the components or characteristics of the various elemental ions. The weather parameters of interest considered were modeled and analysed within the framework of Langevin equation. The average estimated wind speed in the vicinity of the study area was 12.52m/s. It was observed that velocity was an exponentially decaying function of time. The average time taken for the entrained particles to hit the ground within the period of study ranged from 2.36s to 413.35s. The average distance covered by the aerosols from the point of entrainment to the point of deposition was also modeled.