| Automated electron probe X-ray microanalysis was used to characterize some 15.000 individual suspension particles from 50 samples of suspended matter collected from different depths at 18 stations throughout the Baltic Sea and the transient area to the North Sea. For each particle, 14 minor and major elements were determined and size information data were obtained. To process this huge amount of results, multivariate analysis techniques were invoked: the particles were classified into specific types and the abundance variations of these groups were studied.It appeared that 80% of all investigated particles contained mostly silicon, and seemed to consist of quartz, and K-rich and Fe-rich aluminosilicates. The abundance of BaSO<sub>4</sub>... |
