scholarly journals On the abundance and source contributions of dicarboxylic acids in size-resolved aerosol particles at continental sites in central Europe

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 3913-3928 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. van Pinxteren ◽  
C. Neusüß ◽  
H. Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis

Abstract. Dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) are among the most abundant organic compounds observed in atmospheric aerosol particles and have been extensively studied at many places around the world. The importance of the various primary sources and secondary formation pathways discussed in the literature is often difficult to assess from field studies, though. In the present study, a large data set of size-resolved DCA concentrations from several inland sites in Germany is combined with results from a recently developed approach of statistical back-trajectory analysis and additional data. Principal component analysis is then used to reveal the most important factors governing the abundance of DCAs in different particle size ranges. The two most important sources revealed are (i) photochemical formation during intense radiation days in polluted air masses, likely occurring in the gas phase on short timescales (gasSOA), and (ii) secondary reactions in anthropogenically influenced air masses, likely occurring in the aqueous phase on longer timescales (aqSOA). While the first source strongly impacts DCA concentrations mainly in small and large particles, the second one enhances accumulation mode DCAs and is responsible for the bulk of the observed concentrations. Primary sources were found to be minor (sea salt, soil resuspension) or non-existent (biomass burning, traffic). The results can be regarded as representative for typical central European continental conditions.

scholarly journals On the abundance and source contributions of dicarboxylic acids in size-resolved aerosol particles at continental sites in Central Europe

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 32093-32131
Author(s):  
D. van Pinxteren ◽  
C. Neusüß ◽  
H. Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Source Contributions ◽  
Secondary Reactions

Abstract. Dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) are among the most abundant organic compounds observed in atmospheric aerosol particles and have been extensively studied at many places around the world. The importance of the various primary sources and secondary formation pathways discussed in the literature is often difficult to assess from field studies, though. In the present study, a large dataset of size-resolved DCA concentrations from several inland sites in Germany is combined with results from a recently developed approach of statistical back-trajectory analysis and additional data. Principal component analysis is then used to reveal the most important factors governing the abundance of DCAs in different particle size ranges. The two most important sources revealed are (i) photochemical formation in polluted air masses, likely occurring in the gas phase on short timescales (gasSOA), and (ii) secondary reactions in anthropogenically influenced air masses, likely occurring in the aqueous phase on longer timescales (aqSOA). While the first source strongly impacts DCA concentrations mainly in small and large particles, the second one enhances accumulation mode DCAs and is responsible for the bulk of the observed concentrations. Primary sources were found to be minor (sea salt, soil resuspension) or non-existent (biomass burning, traffic). The results can be regarded representative for typical central-european continental conditions.

scholarly journals Heavy Metals in PM10 Aerosols Over an Urban Industrial City

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1402-1408
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Heavy Metal Concentration ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Source Correlation ◽  
Heavy Metal Determination

PM10 aerosols were monitored and analyzed for heavy metal concentration at Raipur city Chhattisgarh, India for possible source identification of pollutants. Sampling of PM10 aerosols was carried out by using respirable dust sampler during the year 2016. Daily PM10 average concentrations varied between 122.033 and 197.854 µg/m3, 91.350 and 133.950 µg/m3 and 112.770 and 480.170 µg/m3 in summer, monsoon and winter respectively. Chemical analysis of PM10 samples was carried out for heavy metal determination. Heavy metal (Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb) were analyzed with the help of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and found in the range of 2.713-36.862, 0.131-9.129. 0.880-4.195 and 0.015-0.321 µg/m3 for Fe, Mn, Pb and Ni respectively. PM10 concentrations shows distinct seasonal variation being twice in winter season than in summer; winter (mean: 241.820 ± 33.912 µg/m3) > summer (mean: 159.512 ± 14.360 µg/m3) > monsoon (mean: 107.480 ± 9.213 µg/m3). The concentration of heavy metal was different in all the seasons depending on their sources. Identification of possible sources was done by principal component analysis (PCA) illustrating industrial activities, soil (crustal) dust and biomass burning as the major sources in the region. The back trajectory analysis of the air masses depicts that the local anthropogenic activities affect the concentration of pollutants at the source. Correlation analysis between the heavy metal concentrations agreed the results obtained by PCA. The work helped in observing the seasonal trend of particulate matter concentrations and in identification of major sources of air pollution in the city.

scholarly journals Use of Low-Cost Ambient Particulate Sensors in Nablus, Palestine with Application to the Assessment of Regional Dust Storms

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 539
Author(s):  
Abdelhaleem Khader ◽  
Randal S. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Dust Storms ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
World Health ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Hysplit Model ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Lower Elevation

Few air pollutant studies within the Palestinian territories have been reported in the literature. In March–April and May–June of 2018, three low-cost, locally calibrated particulate monitors (AirU’s) were deployed at different elevations and source areas throughout the city of Nablus in Northern West Bank, Palestine. During each of the three-week periods, high but site-to-site similar particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and less than 10 µm (PM10) concentrations were observed. The PM2.5 concentrations at the three sampling locations and during both sampling periods averaged 38.2 ± 3.6 µg/m3, well above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 24 h guidelines. Likewise, the PM10 concentrations exceeded or were just below the WHO’s 24 h guidelines, averaging 48.5 ± 4.3 µg/m3. During both periods, short episodes were identified in which the particulate levels at all three sites increased substantially (≈2×) above the regional baseline. Air mass back trajectory analyses using U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model suggested that, during these peak episodes, the arriving air masses spent recent days over desert areas (e.g., the Saharan Desert in North Africa). On days with regionally low PM2.5 concentrations (≈20 µg/m3), back trajectory analysis showed that air masses were directed in from the Mediterranean Sea area. Further, the lower elevation (downtown) site often recorded markedly higher particulate levels than the valley wall sites. This would suggest locally derived particulate sources are significant and may be beneficial in the identification of potential remediation options.

scholarly journals Classification of clouds sampled at the puy de Dôme (France) based on 10 yr of monitoring of their physicochemical properties

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1485-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Deguillaume ◽  
T. Charbouillot ◽  
M. Joly ◽  
M. Vaïtilingom ◽  
M. Parazols ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Inorganic Compounds ◽  
Average Concentration ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Inorganic Constituents

Abstract. Long-term monitoring of the chemical composition of clouds (73 cloud events representing 199 individual samples) sampled at the puy de Dôme (pdD) station (France) was performed between 2001 and 2011. Physicochemical parameters, as well as the concentrations of the major organic and inorganic constituents, were measured and analyzed by multicomponent statistical analysis. Along with the corresponding back-trajectory plots, this allowed for distinguishing four different categories of air masses reaching the summit of the pdD: polluted, continental, marine and highly marine. The statistical analysis led to the determination of criteria (concentrations of inorganic compounds, pH) that differentiate each category of air masses. Highly marine clouds exhibited high concentrations of Na+ and Cl−; the marine category presented lower concentration of ions but more elevated pH. Finally, the two remaining clusters were classified as "continental" and "polluted"; these clusters had the second-highest and highest levels of NH4+, NO3−, and SO24−, respectively. This unique data set of cloud chemical composition is then discussed as a function of this classification. Total organic carbon (TOC) is significantly higher in polluted air masses than in the other categories, which suggests additional anthropogenic sources. Concentrations of carboxylic acids and carbonyls represent around 10% of the organic matter in all categories of air masses and are studied for their relative importance. Iron concentrations are significantly higher for polluted air masses and iron is mainly present in its oxidation state (+II) in all categories of air masses. Finally, H2O2 concentrations are much more varied in marine and highly marine clouds than in polluted clouds, which are characterized by the lowest average concentration of H2O2. This data set provides concentration ranges of main inorganic and organic compounds for modeling purposes on multiphase cloud chemistry.

scholarly journals Airborne mercury species at the Råö background monitoring site in Sweden: Distribution of mercury as an effect of long range transport

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingvar Wängberg ◽  
Michelle G. Nerentorp Mastromonaco ◽  
John Munthe ◽  
Katarina Gårdfeldt
Keyword(s):  
Observation System ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Mercury Species ◽  
Monitoring Site ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Range Transport ◽  
Eu Project ◽  
Background Air ◽  
The Eu

Abstract. Within the EU project, Global Mercury Observation System (GMOS) airborne mercury have been monitored at the background Råö measurement site on the west coast of Sweden from mid May 2012 tot the beginning of July 2013 and from the beginning of February 2014 to the end of May 2015. The mercury concentrations measured at the Råö site was found to be low in comparison to other comparable European measurement sites. A back trajectory analysis to study the origin of air masses reaching the Råö site was performed. Due to the remotely location of the Råö measurement station it receives background air most of the time. However, elevated concentrations with air masses coming from especially the south east are noticeable. Evidence for formation of gaseous oxidised mercury (GOM) in background free tropospheric air is presented.

scholarly journals Analysis of a period of elevated ozone concentration reported over the Vaal Triangle on 2 June 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16
Author(s):  
G. Feig ◽  
X. Ncipha ◽  
S. Naidoo ◽  
D. Mabaso ◽  
N. Ngcukana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ozone Concentration ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Oxides Of Nitrogen ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Power Stations ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
Elevated Ozone ◽  
Vaal Triangle ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring Stations

A peak in the ambient ozone concentration was observed at three of the six ambient air quality monitoring stations in the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area on the second of June 2013. The ozone peak was associated with elevated concentrations of particulate matter, including PM10, PM2.5 and black carbon, but not sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide nor benzene. Back trajectory analysis using Hysplit showed that the air masses containing the high levels of ozone passed over areas influenced by coal fired power stations in the Waterberg, metal processing in the Bojanala region and high intensity fires 30km to 50km upwind of the stations.

scholarly journals Exploring Winter Mortality Variability in Five Regions of England Using Back Trajectory Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Dimitriou ◽  
G. R. McGregor ◽  
P. A. Kassomenos ◽  
A. K. Paschalidou
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Winter Mortality ◽  
Winter Weather ◽  
The West ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Pressure Anomaly ◽  
Climate And Health

Abstract This paper aims to define atmospheric pathways related with the occurrence of daily winter low temperature episodes (LTE) in England, for the 26-yr period 1974–99, and to reveal possible associations with increased mortality rates. For this purpose, backward airmass trajectories, corresponding to LTE in five regions of England, were deployed. A statistically significant increase in mortality levels, at the 0.05 level, was found for LTE, compared to non-LTE days across all five regions. Seven categories of atmospheric trajectory patterns associated with LTE were identified: east, local, west, North Atlantic, Arctic, southwest, and Scandinavian. Consideration of the link between airmass trajectory patterns and mortality levels by region revealed a possible west-to-east split in the nature of air masses connected with elevated mortality. Specifically, for the West Midlands and northwest regions, relatively warm winter weather conditions from the west, most likely associated with the eastward progression of low pressure systems, are allied with the highest daily average mortality counts, whereas, for the northeast, Humberside/York, and southeast regions, cold continental air advection from northern or eastern Europe, which lasts for several days and is linked with either a blocking pattern over the western margins of Europe or an intense high pressure anomaly over eastern or northern Europe, appears important in mortality terms. This finding confirms that winter weather health associations are complex, such that climate setting and airmass climatology need to be taken into account when considering climate and health relationships.

scholarly journals Preliminary Evidence for the Role Played by South Westerly Wind Strength on the Marine Diatom Content of an Antarctic Peninsula Ice Core (1980–2010)

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Claire S. Allen ◽  
Elizabeth R. Thomas ◽  
Hilary Blagbrough ◽  
Dieter R. Tetzner ◽  
Richard A. Warren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Marine Diatom ◽  
Back Trajectory ◽  
Westerly Wind ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Back Trajectory Analysis ◽  
New Evidence

Winds in the Southern Ocean drive exchanges of heat and carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere. Wind dynamics also explain the dominant patterns of both basal and surface melting of glaciers and ice shelves in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas. Long records of past wind strength and atmospheric circulation are needed to assess the significance of these recent changes. Here we present evidence for a novel proxy of past south westerly wind (SWW) strength over the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, based on diatoms preserved in an Antarctic Peninsula ice core. Ecological affinities of the identified diatom taxa indicate an almost exclusively marine assemblage, dominated by open ocean taxa from the Northern Antarctic Zone (NAZ). Back-trajectory analysis shows the routes of air masses reaching the ice core site and reveals that many trajectories involve contact with surface waters in the NAZ of the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas. Correlation analyses between ice core diatom abundance and various wind vectors yield positive and robust coefficients for the 1980–2010 period, with average annual SWW speeds exhibiting the strongest match. Collectively, the data presented here provide new evidence that diatoms preserved in an Antarctic Peninsula ice core offer genuine potential as a new proxy for SWW strength.

Balsam fir self-thinning relationship and its constancy among different ecological regions

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 950-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bégin ◽  
Jean Bégin ◽  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Louis-Paul Rivest ◽  
Stéphane Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Large Data ◽  
The Self ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ecological Regions ◽  
Density Relationship ◽  
Jackknife Procedure ◽  
Relationship Of

The constancy of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) self-thinning relationship has been investigated among four study areas located in different ecological regions of Quebec's humid boreal forest. These four study areas contained respectively 348, 252, 146, and 55 observations (plots × measures) sampled over a period of up to 40 years. A self-thinning fitting method was developed to position objectively the self-thinning lines but, moreover, to allow comparisons among the different study areas. This method relies on principal component analysis to estimate the self-thinning line parameters and on the "jackknife" procedure to provide a standard error of these estimates. Results demonstrate a concordance for the slope (p = 0.136) and the intercept (p = 0.148) among self-thinning relationships of those study areas. The combination of these four study areas in one large data set, to provide a general estimation of balsam fir self-thinning line, has given a slope of –1.441 with a 4.114 intercept which is in agreement with the –3/2 power law of self-thinning. In this study, this law was able to describe the size–density relationship of stands of various ages and growing within different conditions as expressed by the different ecological regions.

scholarly journals Applying Chemometrics to Evaluate Mine Tailings’ Potential As Partial Cement Replacement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Mette T. Simonsen ◽  
Kristine B. Pedersen ◽  
Pernille E. Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Mine Tailing ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Cement Replacement ◽  
Partial Cement Replacement ◽  
Physical And Chemical

This study investigates the utilization of mine tailings, the by-product originating from metal- and mineral-based ore mining, as a new cement replacement material. This paper is based on the chemical and physical characteristics of 13 mine tailing samples. In this study, Chemometrics were applied to consider all parameters simultaneously and obtain a thorough screening of potential relations in the large data set. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) groups samples according to (dis)similar features and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) visualizes predominating variables and relations to samples. The application of HCA highlighted a clear grouping between mine tailings according to characteristics. Meanwhile, PCA identified the predominant chemical and physical characteristics in the mine tailing samples. Chemometrics therefore provided a thorough overview of mine tailings’ physical and chemical characteristics. Keywords: mine tailings, chemometrics, cement replacement

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