The Earth's atmosphere has a large number of small solid and liquid particles which differ in size, shape and composition. One of the most obvious characteristics of the phenomena of air pollution is linked to the occurrence of atmospheric aerosol. The research was conducted in a protected nature reserve, Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN) Social Service of Commerce (SESC) Pantanal , at 111 m of altitude (16º39' S, 56º47' W) and is referred to here as SESC - Advanced Research Center of Wetland , located about 160 km from Cuiabá - MT. The sampling device consists of samplers fine and coarse particles, separating the fine fraction of the aerosol (dp <2.5 µm) from the coarse fraction (2.5 <dp <10 µm). In August 2012, concentrations of fine particles were up to nine times higher (up to 18 µg m-3) than that recorded in the rainy months of 2012 and 2013 (amounts around 2 µg m-3). The concentrations of coarse particles were up to three times higher in the dry season, compared to the rainy season.

Este estudo analisa propriedades de aerossóis atmosféricos e suas fontes, procurando aprimorar o entendimento da dinâmica de poluentes na região do Pantanal. Os principais objetivos desse trabalho foram: caracterização do material particulado e avaliação das fontes de material particulado no Pantanal Mato-Grossense. As amostras de aerossóis atmosféricos foram coletadas continuamente de abril de 2012 a agosto de 2013 na Baía das Pedras, localizada no Pantanal Mato-grossense. O dispositivo de amostragem consistiu em coletores de particulado fino e grosso (AFG), que separa a fração fina do aerossol (dp ˂ 2,5 µm) e a fração grossa (2,5 < dp < 10 µm). A análise elementar foi realizada por fluorescência de raios-X, enquanto que o teor deblack carbon equivalente foi determinado por refletância. Utilizando a técnica de Fatoração de Matriz Positiva (PMF), foram estimados três tipos de fontes de aerossóis: emissões biogênicas naturais, suspensão de poeira do solo e queima da biomassa. Os resultados encontrados reforçam a importância do estudo no Pantanal para entender os mecanismos dos processos antrópicos e naturais que são capazes de regular a composição da atmosfera.

This study examines properties of atmospheric aerosols and their sources, seeking to improve the understanding of the dynamics of pollutants in the Pantanal region. The main objectives of this work are: characterization of particulate matter and evaluation of their sources in the Mato Grosso Pantanal. Atmospheric aerosols samples were continuously collected from April 2012 to August 2013 in Baía das Pedras, located at Pantanal. The sampling devices consisted of fine and coarse mode particulate samplers, which separates the fine fraction of the aerosol (dp ˂ 2.5 µm) and coarse fraction (2,5 < dp< 10 µm) . X-ray fluorescence was used to figure out particle elemental composition, and a reflectance technique was applied to determine the black carbon content. Using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) technique, three types of aerosol sources were estimated: natural biogenic emissions, soil dust suspension and biomass burning. The results reinforce the importance of studying the Pantanal particulate matter to understand the mechanisms of natural and anthropogenic processes that are able to regulating the atmosphere composition.