A European aerosol phenomenology - 9: Light absorption properties of carbonaceous aerosol particles across surface Europe.

Carbonaceous aerosols (CA), composed of black carbon (BC) and organic matter (OM), significantly impact the climate. Light absorption properties of CA, particularly of BC and brown carbon (BrC), are crucial due to their contribution to global and regional warming. We present the absorption properties of BC (b) and BrC (b) inferred using Aethalometer data from 44 European sites covering different environments (traffic (TR), urban (UB), suburban (SUB), regional background (RB) and mountain (M)).

Source apportionment of ultrafine particles in urban Europe.

There is a body of evidence that ultrafine particles (UFP, those with diameters ≤ 100 nm) might have significant impacts on health. Accordingly, identifying sources of UFP is essential to develop abatement policies. This study focuses on urban Europe, and aims at identifying sources and quantifying their contributions to particle number size distribution (PNSD) using receptor modelling (Positive Matrix Factorization, PMF), and evaluating long-term trends of these source contributions using the non-parametric Theil-Sen's method.

PM-bound trace elements in pan-European urban atmosphere.

Although many studies have discussed the impact of Europe's air quality, very limited research focused on the detailed phenomenology of ambient trace elements (TEs) in PM in urban atmosphere. This study compiled long-term (2013-2022) measurements of speciation of ambient urban PM from 55 sites of 7 countries (Switzerland, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, UK), aiming to elucidate the phenomenology of 20 TEs in PM in urban Europe. The monitoring sites comprised urban background (UB, n = 26), traffic (TR, n = 10), industrial (IN, n = 5), suburban background (SUB, n = 7), and rural background (RB, n = 7) types.

Inter-annual trends of ultrafine particles in urban Europe.

Ultrafine particles (UFP, those with diameters ≤ 100 nm), have been reported to potentially penetrate deeply into the respiratory system, translocate through the alveoli, and affect various organs, potentially correlating with increased mortality. The aim of this study is to assess long-term trends (5-11 years) in mostly urban UFP concentrations based on measurements of particle number size distributions (PNSD). Additionally, concentrations of other pollutants and meteorological variables were evaluated to support the interpretations.

Ambient air particulate total lung deposited surface area (LDSA) levels in urban Europe.

This study aims to picture the phenomenology of urban ambient total lung deposited surface area (LDSA) (including head/throat (HA), tracheobronchial (TB), and alveolar (ALV) regions) based on multiple path particle dosimetry (MPPD) model during 2017-2019 period collected from urban background (UB, n = 15), traffic (TR, n = 6), suburban background (SUB, n = 4), and regional background (RB, n = 1) monitoring sites in Europe (25) and USA (1). Briefly, the spatial-temporal distribution characteristics of the deposition of LDSA, including diel, weekly, and seasonal patterns, were analyzed. Then, the relationship between LDSA and other air quality metrics at each monitoring site was investigated.

Investigation of four-year chemical composition and organic aerosol sources of submicron particles at the ATOLL site in northern France.

This study presents the first long-term online measurements of submicron (PM) particles at the ATOLL (ATmospheric Observations in liLLe) platform, in northern France. The ongoing measurements using an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) started at the end of 2016 and the analysis presented here spans through December 2020. At this site, the mean PM concentration is 10.

Tracking changes in atmospheric particulate matter at a semi-urban site in Central France over the past decade.

Nearly 10-year (2013-2022) data on atmospheric particulate matters (PMs) were collected to investigate the air quality in a suburban site of Orléans city (France). The PM concentration decreased slightly between 2013 and 2022. PMs concentrations showed a monthly variation with higher concentration in cold periods.

Detecting and Characterizing Particulate Organic Nitrates with an Aerodyne Long-ToF Aerosol Mass Spectrometer.

Particulate organic nitrate (pON) can be a major part of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and is commonly quantified by indirect means from aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) data. However, pON quantification remains challenging. Here, we set out to quantify and characterize pON in the boreal forest, through direct field observations at Station for Measuring Ecosystem Atmosphere Relationships (SMEAR) II in Hyytiälä, Finland, and targeted single-precursor laboratory studies.

Nearly five-year continuous atmospheric measurements of black carbon over a suburban area in central France.

Atmospheric black carbon (BC) concentration over a nearly 5 year period (mid-2017-2021) was continuously monitored over a suburban area of Orléans city (France). Annual mean atmospheric BC concentration were 0.75 ± 0.

Real-Time Source Apportionment of Organic Aerosols in Three European Cities.

97% of the urban population in the EU in 2019 were exposed to an annual fine particulate matter level higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (5 μg/m). Organic aerosol (OA) is one of the major air pollutants, and the knowledge of its sources is crucial for designing cost-effective mitigation strategies. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) on aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) or aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) data is the most common method for source apportionment (SA) analysis on ambient OA.

Sources and processes of organic aerosol in non-refractory PM and PM during foggy and haze episodes in an urban environment of the Yangtze River Delta, China.

Organic aerosol (OA) generally accounts for a large fraction of fine particulate matter (PM) in the urban atmosphere. Despite significant advances in the understanding their emission sources, transformation processes and optical properties in the submicron aerosol fraction (PM), larger size fractions - e.g.

Modelling aerosol molecular markers in a 3D air quality model: Focus on anthropogenic organic markers.

We developed and implemented in the 3D air quality model CHIMERE the formation of several key anthropogenic aerosol markers including one primary anthropogenic marker (levoglucosan) and 4 secondary anthropogenic markers (nitrophenols, nitroguaiacols, methylnitrocatechols and phthalic acid). Modelled concentrations have been compared to measurements performed at 12 locations in France for levoglucosan in winter 2014-15, and at a sub-urban station in the Paris region over the whole year 2015 for secondary molecular markers. While a good estimation of levoglucosan concentrations by the model has been obtained for a few sites, a strong underestimation was simulated for most of the stations especially for western locations due to a probable underestimation of residential wood burning emissions.

Variability of the Atmospheric PM Microbiome in Three Climatic Regions of France.

Primary Biogenic Organic Aerosols (PBOA) were recently shown to be produced by only a few types of microorganisms, emitted by the surrounding vegetation in the case of a regionally homogeneous field site. This study presents the first comprehensive description of the structure and main sources of airborne microbial communities associated with temporal trends in Sugar Compounds (SC) concentrations of PM in 3 sites under a climatic gradient in France. By combining sugar chemistry and DNA Metabarcoding approaches, we intended to identify PM-associated microbial communities and their main sources at three sampling-sites in France, under different climates, during the summer of 2018.

One-year measurements of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) markers in the Paris region (France): Concentrations, gas/particle partitioning and SOA source apportionment.

Twenty-five biogenic and anthropogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) markers have been measured over a one-year period in both gaseous and PM phases in the Paris region (France). Seasonal and chemical patterns were similar to those previously observed in Europe, but significantly different from the ones observed in America and Asia due to dissimilarities in source precursor emissions. Nitroaromatic compounds showed higher concentrations in winter due to larger emissions of their precursors originating from biomass combustion used for residential heating purposes.

Sources of particulate-matter air pollution and its oxidative potential in Europe.

Particulate matter is a component of ambient air pollution that has been linked to millions of annual premature deaths globally. Assessments of the chronic and acute effects of particulate matter on human health tend to be based on mass concentration, with particle size and composition also thought to play a part. Oxidative potential has been suggested to be one of the many possible drivers of the acute health effects of particulate matter, but the link remains uncertain.

Comparison of five methodologies to apportion organic aerosol sources during a PM pollution event.

This study presents a comparison of five methodologies to apportion primary (POA) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) sources from measurements performed in the Paris region (France) during a highly processed PM pollution event. POA fractions, estimated from EC-tracer method and positive matrix factorization (PMF) analyses, conducted on measurements from PM filters, aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) and offline aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS), were all comparable (2.2-3.

Substantial brown carbon emissions from wintertime residential wood burning over France.

Brown carbon (BrC) is known to absorb light at subvisible wavelengths but its optical properties and sources are still poorly documented, leading to large uncertainties in climate studies. Here, we show its major wintertime contribution to total aerosol absorption at 370 nm (18-42%) at 9 different French sites. Moreover, an excellent correlation with levoglucosan (r = 0.

Wood burning: A major source of Volatile Organic Compounds during wintertime in the Paris region.

Wood burning is widely used for domestic heating and has been identified as a ubiquitous pollution source in urban areas, especially during cold months. The present study is based on a three and a half winter months field campaign in the Paris region measuring Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) in addition to Black Carbon (BC). Several VOCs were identified as strongly wood burning-influenced (e.

Speciation of organic fractions does matter for aerosol source apportionment. Part 3: Combining off-line and on-line measurements.

The present study proposes an advanced methodology to refine the source apportionment of organic aerosol (OA). This methodology is based on the combination of offline and online datasets in a single Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis using the multilinear engine (ME-2) algorithm and a customized time synchronization procedure. It has been applied to data from measurements conducted in the Paris region (France) during a PM pollution event in March 2015.