Aerosol removal coefficients based on 7Be, 210Pb, and 210Po radionuclides in the urban atmosphere

In this study, the aerosol removal coefficients based on 7Be, 210Pb and 210Po radionuclides in the urban air, in Lodz, Poland, were investigated over 3 years, between May 2014 and December 2017. Results representing the summer/warm and winter/cold seasons were applied to quantity and quality estimates of aerosol removal processes. The values for the removal processes were closely dependent on the meteorological conditions; therefore, a set of nine meteorological parameters was employed in the analysis. The multiple regression method was applied to explain the relationship between the removal coefficients of aerosols and independent factors identified using Principal Component Analysis.

Source identification and exposure assessment to PM10 in the Eastern Carpathians, Romania

Observations of particulate matter less than 10 µm (PM10) were conducted from January to December in 2015 in the Ciuc basin, Eastern Carpathians, Romania. Daily concentrations of PM10 ranged from 10.90 to 167.70 µg/m3, with an annual mean concentration of 46.31 µg/m3, which is higher than the European Union limit of 40 µg/m3. Samples were analyzed for a total of 21 elements. O, C and Si were the most abundant elements accounting for about 85% of the PM10 mass. Source identification showed that the elemental composition of PM10 is represented by post volcanic activity, crustal origin, and anthropogenic sources, caused by the resuspension of crustal material, sea salt and soil dust. The average PM10 composition was 72.10% soil, 20.92% smoke K, 13.84% salt, 1.53% sulfate and 1.02% organic matter. The back-trajectory analysis showed that the majority of PM10 pollution comes from the West, Southwest and South.