Mass concentration and ion composition of coarse and fine particles in an urban area in Beirut: effect of calcium carbonate on the absorption of nitric and sulfuric acids and the depletion of chloride

Abstract. Levels of coarse (PM10-2.5) and fine (PM2.5) particles were determined between February 2004 and January 2005 in the city of Beirut, Lebanon. While low PM mass concentrations were measured in the rainy season, elevated levels were detected during sand storms originating from Arabian desert and/or Africa. Using ATR-FTIR and IC, it was shown that nitrate, sulfate, carbonate and chloride were the main anionic constituents of the coarse particles, whereas sulfate was mostly predominant in the fine particles in the form of (NH4)2SO4. Ammonium nitrate was not expected to be important because the medium was defined as ammonium poor. In parallel, the cations Ca2+ and Na+ dominated in the coarse, and NH4+, Ca2+ and Na+ in the fine particles. Coarse nitrate and sulfate ions resulted from the respective reactions of nitric and sulfuric acid with a relatively high amount of calcium carbonate. Both CaCO3 and Ca(NO3)2 crystals identified by ATR-FTIR in the coarse particles were found to be resistant to soaking in water for 24 h but became water soluble when they were formed in the fine particles suggesting, thereby, different growth and adsorption phenomena. The seasonal variational study showed that nitrate and sulfate ion concentrations increased in the summer due to the enhancement of photochemical reactions which facilitated the conversion of NO2 and SO2 gases into NO3- and SO42-, respectively. While nitrate was mainly due to local heavy traffic, sulfates were due to local and long-range transport phenomena. Using the air mass trajectory HYSPLIT model, it was found that the increase in the sulfate concentration correlated with wind vectors coming from Eastern and Central Europe. Chloride levels, on the other hand, were high when wind originated from the sea and low during sand storms. In addition to sea salt, elevated levels of chloride were also attributed to waste mass burning in proximity to the site. In comparison to other neighboring Mediterranean countries, relatively higher concentrations of calcium in Beirut were good indication of calcitic crustal abundance. Considering the importance of the health and climate impacts of aerosols locally and regionally, this study constitutes a point of reference for eastern Mediterranean transport modeling studies and local regulatory and policy makers.

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Ion concentrations of PM<sub>10–2.5</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosols over the eastern Mediterranean region: seasonal variation and source identification

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-5-13053-2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 13053-13073 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

H. Kouyoumdjian ◽

N. A. Saliba

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variation ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Eastern Mediterranean Region ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Attenuated Total Reflection ◽

Traffic Density ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Coarse Filter ◽

Mediterranean Countries

Abstract. The annual averages of particulate matters (PM10, PM10–2.5 (coarse) and PM2.5 (fine)) in a densely populated area of Beirut were measured and found to be 84±27, 53±20 and 31±9 μg m−3, respectively. Ion Chromatography (IC) analysis of the collected PM Teflon filters showed that NaCl, CaSO4 and Ca(NO3)2 were predominant in the coarse particles, while (NH4)2SO4 was the main salt in the fine particles. Using the non destructive Fourier Transform Infra Red-Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) technique, CaCO3 was determined in the coarse filter. In addition, ATR measurements showed that inorganic salts present in the coarse particles are mostly water insoluble while salts found in fine particles are soluble. Concentrations of nitrates and calcium higher than the ones reported in neighboring Mediterranean countries were good indication of high traffic density and crustal dust abundance in Beirut, respectively. The study of the seasonal variation showed that long-range transport of SO2 from Eastern and Central Europe, sandy storms coming from Africa and marine aerosols are considered major sources of the determined inorganic ions. Considering the importance of the health and climate impacts of aerosols locally and regionally, this study constitutes a point of reference for eastern Mediterranean transport modeling studies and local regulatory and policy makers.

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Characteristics of Water Soluble Ions in Atmospheric Aerosol on Clear and Hazy Days at Lin’an Regional Background Station, China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.356-360.2233 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 356-360 ◽

pp. 2233-2238

Author(s):

Hong Hui Xu ◽

Jie Liu ◽

Min Juan Mao ◽

Jie Yao

Keyword(s):

Atmospheric Aerosol ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Yangtze River Delta ◽

River Delta ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Regional Background ◽

Soluble Ions ◽

Water Soluble Ions

To investigate the characteristics of size distributions and water-soluble ions compositions of atmospheric aerosol in different weather conditions in the area of Yangtze River delta in China, aerosol samples were collected with Andersen cascade sampler on typical clear and hazy days at Lin’an regional background station. The water-soluble ionic concentrations were analyzed by the ion chromatography (IC). Results showed the concentrations of SO42-, NO3-, NH4+ and K+ on hazy days were 20.14, 17.45, 10.30, and 1.27µg m-3 in fine particles, respectively, and the concentrations of NO3-, NH4+ and K+ were 14.50, 2.35 and 0.50µg m-3 in coarse particles, respectively. This was 1.1-2.9 times higher than on clear days. The concentrations of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+ and Cl- on hazy days were 2.67, 1.33, 0.37, and 1.03µg m-3 in fine particles, respectively, and the concentrations of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, Cl- and SO42- were 4.34, 1.27, 0.41, 0.89 and 2.08µg m-3 in coarse particles, respectively. This was 0.6-0.9 times lower than on clear days. K+ and secondary particles including sulfate, nitrate and ammonium came from the long-range transport which mainly from the area of Yangtze River delta, which was the main cause of formation of haze.

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Impact of Gobi desert dust on aerosol chemistry of Xi'an, inland China during spring 2009: differences in composition and size distribution between the urban ground surface and the mountain atmosphere

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions ◽

10.5194/acpd-12-21355-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 21355-21397 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

G. H. Wang ◽

B. H. Zhou ◽

C. L. Cheng ◽

J. J. Cao ◽

J. J. Meng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Size Distribution ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Major Ions ◽

Ground Surface ◽

Sampling Period ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Gobi Desert ◽

Urban Air ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Aerosol Chemistry

Abstract. Composition and size distribution of atmospheric aerosols from Xi'an city (~400 m, altitude) in inland China during the spring of 2009 including a massive dust event on 24 April were measured and compared with a parallel measurement at the summit (2060 m, altitude) of Mt. Hua, an alpine site nearby Xi'an. EC, OC and major ions in the city were 2–22 times higher than those on the mountaintop during the whole sampling period. Sulfate was the highest species in the nonevent time in Xi'an and Mt. Hua, followed by nitrate, OC and NH4+. In contrast, OC was the most abundant in the event at both sites, followed by sulfate, nitrate and Ca2+. Compared to those on the urban ground surface aerosols in the elevated troposphere over Mt. Hua contain more sulfate and less nitrate, because HNO3 is formed faster than H2SO4 and thus long-range transport of HNO3 is less significant than that of H2SO4. An increased water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) was observed for the dust samples from Xi'an, indicating a significant deposition of anthropogenic WSON onto dust and/or an input of biogenic WSON from Gobi desert. As far as we know, it is for the first time to perform a simultaneous observation of aerosol chemistry between the ground surface and the free troposphere in inland East Asia. Our results showed that fine particles are more acidic on the mountaintop than on the urban ground surface in the nonevent, mainly due to continuous oxidation of SO2 to produce H2SO4 during the transport from lowland areas to the alpine atmosphere. However, we found the urban fine particles became more acidic in the event than in the nonevent, in contrast to the mountain atmosphere, where fine particles were less acidic when dust was present. The opposite changes in acidity of fine particles at both sites during the event are mostly caused by enhanced heterogeneous formation of nitrate onto dust in the urban air and decreased formation of nitrate in the mountain troposphere. In comparison to those during the nonevent Cl− and NO3− in the urban air during the event significantly shifted toward coarse particles. Such redistributions were further pronounced on the mountaintop when dust was present, resulting in both ions almost entirely staying in coarse particles. On the contrary, no significant spatial difference in size distribution of SO42− was found between the urban ground surface and the mountain atmosphere, dominating in the fine mode (<2.1 μm) during the nonevent and comparably distributing in the fine (<2.1 μm) and coarse (>2.1 μm) modes during the event.

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Fossil and Non-Fossil Sources of Different Carbonaceous Fractions in Fine and Coarse Particles by Radiocarbon Measurement

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200048438 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 1510-1520 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Y L Zhang ◽

P Zotter ◽

N Perron ◽

A S H Prévôt ◽

L Wacker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Carbonaceous Particles ◽

Fossil Carbon ◽

Coarse Mode ◽

Wood Burning ◽

Inorganic Substances ◽

Secondary Formation

Radiocarbon offers a unique possibility for unambiguous source apportionment of carbonaceous particles due to a direct distinction of non-fossil and fossil carbon. In this work, particulate matter of different size fractions was collected at 4 sites in Switzerland to examine whether fine and coarse carbonaceous particles exhibit different fossil and contemporary sources. Elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) as well as water-soluble OC (WSOC) and water-insoluble OC (WINSOC) were separated and determined for subsequent 14C measurement. In general, both fossil and non-fossil fractions in OC and EC were found more abundant in the fine than in the coarse mode. However, a substantial fraction (∼20 ± 5%) of fossil EC was found in coarse particles, which could be attributed to traffic-induced non-exhaust emissions. The contribution of biomass burning to coarse-mode EC in winter was relatively high, which is likely associated to the coating of EC with organic and/or inorganic substances emitted from intensive wood burning. Further, fossil OC (i.e. from vehicle emissions) was found to be smaller than non-fossil OC due to the presence of primary biogenic OC and/or growing in size of wood-burning OC particles during aging processes. 14C content in WSOC indicated that the second organic carbon rather stems from non-fossil precursors for all samples. Interestingly, both fossil and non-fossil WINSOC concentrations were found to be higher in fine particles than in coarse particles in winter, which is likely due to primary wood burning emissions and/or secondary formation of WINSOC.

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Atmospheric particle dry deposition of major ions to the South Atlantic coastal area observed at Baía de Todos os Santos, Brazil

Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ◽

10.1590/0001-3765201420130234 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 86 (1) ◽

pp. 37-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

STELYUS L. MKOMA ◽

GISELE O. DA ROCHA ◽

JOSÉ S.S. DOMINGOS ◽

JOÃO V.S. SANTOS ◽

MANUELA P. CARDOSO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dry Deposition ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Major Ions ◽

Salt Spray ◽

Fine Fraction ◽

Sea Salt ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Coarse Particles

The coastal atmosphere adjacent to large urban areas can be strongly affected by the emission of air pollutants, among them, major ions species. In this study, the chemical composition and sources of carboxylates and other water-soluble ions in fine and coarse aerosols as well as estimates of particle dry deposition fluxes were studied at a tropical coastal site affected by an urban environment. The mean concentrations of the total carboxylates were 78 ng m–3 in fine fraction and 81 ng m–3 in coarse fraction of particulate matter (PM). The corresponding values for the total inorganic ions were 2143 ng m–3 and 4880 ng m–3 respectively. Main sources for fine particles were: (i) photochemical formation of carboxylic acids in vapor phase and a posterior gas-to-particle conversion onto sea salt particles; (ii) emissions from anthropic sources with long range transportation processes; and (iii) the interchanging of volatile species among atmospheric phases. In turn, for coarse particles, the predominant sources were: (i) gas-phase species and ab/adsorbed onto pre-existing particles afterwards; (ii) primary emission of coarse particles from anthropogenic sources; and (iii) sea salt spray and/or soil resuspension. Finally, particle dry deposition was a very important mechanism representing air-to-sea fluxes of major species.

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Influence of rain on the abundance of bioaerosols in fine and coarse particles

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-2459-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 2459-2475 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Chathurika M. Rathnayake ◽

Nervana Metwali ◽

Thilina Jayarathne ◽

Josh Kettler ◽

Yuefan Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fine Particles ◽

Fungal Spores ◽

Pollen Grains ◽

Late Summer ◽

Fungal Spore ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Simultaneous Increase ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Glucose Levels ◽

Rain Events

Abstract. Assessing the environmental, health, and climate impacts of bioaerosols requires knowledge of their size and abundance. These two properties were assessed through daily measurements of chemical tracers for pollens (sucrose, fructose, and glucose), fungal spores (mannitol and glucans), and Gram-negative bacterial endotoxins in two particulate matter (PM) size modes: fine particles (< 2.5 µm) and coarse particles (2.5–10 µm) as determined by their aerodynamic diameter. Measurements were made during the spring tree pollen season (mid-April to early May) and late summer ragweed season (late August to early September) in the Midwestern US in 2013. Under dry conditions, pollen, and fungal spore tracers were primarily in coarse PM (> 75 %), as expected for particles greater than 2.5 µm. Rainfall on 2 May corresponded to maximum atmospheric pollen tracer levels and a redistribution of pollen tracers to the fine PM fraction (> 80 %). Both changes were attributed to the osmotic rupture of pollen grains that led to the suspension of fine-sized pollen fragments. Fungal spore tracers peaked in concentration following spring rain events and decreased in particle size, but to a lesser extent than pollens. A short, heavy thunderstorm in late summer corresponded to an increase in endotoxin and glucose levels, with a simultaneous shift to smaller particle sizes. Simultaneous increase in bioaerosol levels and decrease in their size have significant implications for population exposures to bioaerosols, particularly during rain events. Chemical mass balance (CMB) source apportionment modeling and regionally specific pollen profiles were used to apportion PM mass to pollens and fungal spores. Springtime pollen contributions to the mass of particles < 10 µm (PM10) ranged from 0.04 to 0.8 µg m−3 (0.2–38 %, averaging 4 %), with maxima occurring on rainy days. Fungal spore contributions to PM10 mass ranged from 0.1 to 1.5 µg m−3 (0.8–17 %, averaging 5 %), with maxima occurring after rain. Overall, this study defines changes to the fine- and coarse-mode distribution of PM, pollens, fungal spores, and endotoxins in response to rain in the Midwestern United States and advances the ability to apportion PM mass to pollens.

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Contribution of Fine Particles to Air Emission at Different Phases of Biomass Burning

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10050278 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 278 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Niloofar Ordou ◽

Igor E. Agranovski

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Particle Size Distribution ◽

Fine Particles ◽

Combustion Process ◽

Coarse Particles ◽

Biomass Smoke ◽

Smoke Particles ◽

Air Emission ◽

Entire Duration ◽

Diffusion Properties

Particle size distribution in biomass smoke was observed for different burning phases, including flaming and smouldering, during the combustion of nine common Australian vegetation representatives. Smoke particles generated during the smouldering phase of combustions were found to be coarser as compared to flaming aerosols for all hard species. In contrast, for leafy species, this trend was inversed. In addition, the combustion process was investigated over the entire duration of burning by acquiring data with one second time resolution for all nine species. Particles were separately characterised in two categories: fine particles with dominating diffusion properties measurable with diffusion-based instruments (Dp < 200 nm), and coarse particles with dominating inertia (Dp > 200 nm). It was found that fine particles contribute to more than 90 percent of the total fresh smoke particles for all investigated species.

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Comparative assessment of genetic diversity in wild and primitive cultivated barley in a center of diversity.

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/119.4.981 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 119 (4) ◽

pp. 981-990

Author(s):

S Jana ◽

L N Pietrzak

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Hordeum Spontaneum ◽

Hordeum Vulgare L ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Mediterranean Countries ◽

Isozyme Loci ◽

Cultivated Barley ◽

Multilocus Associations ◽

High Degree

Abstract Wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum K.) and indigenous primitive varieties of cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), collected from 43 locations in four eastern Mediterranean countries, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Greece, were electrophoretically assayed for genetic diversity at 16 isozyme loci. Contrary to a common impression, cultivated barley populations were found to maintain a level of diversity similar to that in its wild progenitor species. Apportionment of overall diversity in the region showed that in cultivated barley within-populations diversity was of higher magnitude than the between-populations component. Neighboring populations of wild and cultivated barleys showed high degree of genetic identity. Groups of 3 or 4 isozyme loci were analyzed to detect associations among loci. Multilocus associations of varying order were detected for all three groups chosen for the analysis. Some of the association terms differed between the two species in the region. Although there was no clear evidence for decrease in diversity attributable to the domestication of barley in the region, there was an indication of different multilocus organizations in the two closely related species.

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