This study investigates the contents, distribution patterns, and sources of lanthanoid elements (La to Lu) in aerosols with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀) in a coastal Caribbean region in order to better constrain the origin of the atmospheric PM contamination. We sampled and analysed PM₁₀ aerosols during 2015 simultaneously at a rural and an urban site in Cienfuegos (Cuba) as well as particles samples from regional contamination sources. Results showed that the sum of the studied lanthanoids concentrations ranged from 0.03 to 13.42 ng m⁻³ and from 0.51 to 18.75 ng m⁻³ at the rural and the urban site, respectively. Time variations for the lanthanoid concentrations displayed similar trends and showed that the highest concentrations corresponded to the influence of the African dust for both sites, but presented distinct variability and lower concentrations when dust intrusions were less frequent. The lanthanoid distribution patterns in the rural and urban sites were significantly different, due to the impact of different local combustion sources. Our results were comforted by comparing the degree of fractionation of the lighter and heavier lanthanoids and the δEu and δCe anomalies between our PM₁₀ samples and those of the local sources of contamination. Ultimately, we highlight the added value of lanthanoid elements as reliable indicators for discriminating emission sources and for tracking the origin of atmospheric particulate matter.

本研究调查了加勒比沿海地区气动力直径≤10μm（PM ₁₀）的气溶胶中镧系元素（La到Lu）的含量，分布模式和来源，以便更好地限制大气PM污染的起源。我们在2015年同时在Cienfuegos（古巴）的农村和城市地点对PM ₁₀气溶胶进行了采样和分析，还从区域污染源中采样了颗粒。结果表明，所研究的镧系元素浓度的总和为0.03至13.42 ng m ^-3和0.51至18.75 ng m ^-3分别位于农村和城市地区。镧系元素浓度的时间变化显示出相似的趋势，并且表明最高浓度对应于非洲粉尘对两个地点的影响，但是当粉尘侵入较少时，呈现出明显的可变性和较低的浓度。由于不同地方燃烧源的影响，农村和城市地区的镧系元素分布模式存在显着差异。通过比较我们的PM ₁₀之间较轻和较重的镧系元素的分馏程度以及δEu和δCe异常，我们的结果得到了安慰。样本和当地污染源的样本。最终，我们强调了镧系元素的附加值，作为区分排放源和跟踪大气颗粒物来源的可靠指标。