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Source apportionment of fine PM and sub-micron particle number concentrations at a regional background site in the western Mediterranean: a 2.5 year study
Cusack, Michael (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Pérez Lozano, Noemí (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Pey, J. (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Alastuey, Andrés (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Querol Carceller, Xavier (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)

Date: 2013
Abstract: The chemical composition and sources of ambient fine particulate matter (PM₁) over a period of 2. 5 years for a regional background site in the western Mediterranean are presented in this work. Furthermore, sub-micron particle number concentrations and the sources of these particles are also presented. The mean PM₁ concentration for the measurement period was 8. 9 μgm¯³, with organic matter (OM) and sulphate comprising most of the mass (3. 2 and 1. 5 μgm¯³ respectively). Six sources were identified in PM₁ by Positive Matrix Factorisation (PMF): secondary organic aerosol, secondary nitrate, industrial, traffic + biomass burning, fuel oil combustion and secondary sulphate. Typically anthropogenic sources displayed elevated concentrations during the week with reductions at weekends. Nitrate levels were elevated in winter and negligible in summer, whereas secondary sulphate levels underwent a contrasting seasonal evolution with highest concentrations in summer, similar to the fuel oil combustion source. The SOA source was influenced by episodes of sustained pollution as a result of anticyclonic conditions occurring during winter, giving rise to thermal inversions and the accumulation of pollutants in the mixing layer. Increased levels in summer were owing to higher biogenic emissions and regional recirculation of air masses. The industrial source decreased in August due to decreased emissions during the vacation period. Increases in the traffic + biomass burning source were recorded in January, April and October, which were attributed to the occurrence of the aforementioned pollution episodes and local biomass burning emission sources, which include agriculture and domestic heating systems. Average particle number concentrations (N₉_₈₂₅ nm) from 5/11/2010 to 01/06/2011 and from 15/10/2011 to 18/12/2011 reached 3097 cm¯³. Five emission sources of particle of sub-micron particles were determined by Principal Component Analysis (PCA); industrial + traffic + biomass burning, new particle formation + growth, secondary sulphate + fuel oil combustion, crustal material and secondary nitrate. The new particle formation + growth source dominated the particle number concentration (56% of total particle number concentration), especially for particles <100 nm, followed by industrial + traffic + biomass burning (13%). Secondary sulphate + fuel oil combustion (8%), nitrate (9%) and crustal material (2%) were dominant for particles of larger diameter (>100 nm) and thus did not influence the particle number concentration significantly.
Grants: European Commission 262254
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CGL2008-06294/CLI
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CGL2010-19464/CLI
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CSD2007-00067
Rights: Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. Creative Commons
Language: Anglès
Document: Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject: Particulate matter ; Western Mediterranean ; Earth's climate ; Human health
Published in: Atmospheric chemistry and physics, Vol. 13 No. 10 (May 2013) , p. 5173-5187, ISSN 1680-7324

DOI: 10.5194/acp-13-5173-2013


15 p, 1.3 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles

 Record created 2015-03-10, last modified 2023-12-12



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