Non sea-salt sulphate over the oceans can originate from both natural and anthropogenic sources and the relative as well as absolute concentrations vary widely as a function of time and location. In the North Atlantic region volcanic exhalation can be expected to significantly contribute to the natural SO4 budget. Active volcanism in Iceland is one of the largest sources in that region. Furthermore, Iceland has extensive sandy deserts, where strong winds can generate dust storms which plumes may be transported over the great distances impacting on air quality in the Europe (Prospero et al., 2008). It is difficult to track the sulfate and dust plumes remotely due to limitations of off-line analytical technique that is typically used for continuous long-term measurements. However an application of Quadrupole Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Q-AMS) at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station, on the west coast of Ireland, enabled identifying fast concentration changes of organic and inorganic species within the size spectrum of the sampled particles. Here we present the results of one day of the field campaign which clearly shows an advection of Icelandic sulphate and dust aerosol to Mace Head.
