Lithosphere Sources of Aerosol Contamination of the Atmosphere

The main lithospere sources of aerosol particles are considered, and aerosols supplied to the atmosphere from these sources are estimated quantitatively. Waste aerosols produced by natural sources make up about 90 % of the total ejection and considerably exceed waste aerosols produced by anthropogenic sources. Comparison of the main anthropogenic waste aerosol-producing substances (sulfur dioxide, dust, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons) in the USA and Russia for the period 1940–1987 shows that there is a tendency toward stabilization of aerosol-producing substances ejected into the atmosphere. A technique is proposed for estimating the contribution of opencast mining to the total aerosol balance of the atmosphere on the basis of analysis of data on dust extraction during various technological processes in mining and their total volume.