Temporal variations of airborne particle concentration in an arid region

Airborne particle concentration (APC) measurements were carried out at the Sede Boker experimental station located in the northern Negev Desert, about 50 km south of Beer Sheva, during the years 1987-1997. The basic sampling period used in 1987-1993 was 12 h (day and night) and in 1994-1997 the sampling period was 24 h. For the entire study period, the average airborne particle concentration (APC) was 123.8 μg/m³, the highest value was 4204.2 μg/m³; and the lowest, near 5 μg/m³. For the 24 h average, about 90% of the cases were defined as normal situations (APC between 0-200 μg/m³) about, 8.5%, hazy periods (APC between 200-500 μg/m³), 1.4% dusty periods (APC between 500-1000 μg/m³) and about 0.7% were intense dusty periods (APC above 1000 μg/m³). Statistical analysis of the data showed significant seasonal and monthly fluctuations. The seasonal variation of the APC was further examined using different definitions of the seasons (astronomical, meteorological, and synoptic).