- P-ISSN 1225-0163
- E-ISSN 2288-8985
In the present study, we made measurements of PM-bound metal concentrations from seven different urbanized locations in Seoul for the period covering March 2001 through May 2002. The measurement data were analyzed to explore the possible influences of spatial factors on metal distribution characteristics. To check for the importance of such aspects on metal distribution characteristics, the measured data were compared between different metals and between different sites by several criteria including (1) coefficient of variation (CV) values; (2) temporal variability; and (3) the abundance of strongly correlated pairs. The overall results of our study indicate strong diversity in the distribution characteristics of different metals. It is found that some metals (like Fe, Mn, and Pb) tend to exhibit strong compatibility among different study sites. However, no such compatibility appears to exist for certain metals like Cu. To account for the importance of spatial factors, complex relationships between source/sink processes and geochemical characteristics of a given metallic component may have to be examined in a systematic manner.