PM2.5 monitoring during a 10-year period: relation between elemental concentration and meteorological conditions.

Four monitoring campaigns between the years 2009 and 2018 were conducted in Córdoba City, Argentina, to detect toxic metals in PM2.5 samples. The concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Mn, Hg, Ni, and Zn, together with several other elements, were measured.

Accurate total solar irradiance estimates under irradiance measurements scarcity scenarios.

Accurate estimates of total global solar irradiance reaching the Earth's surface are relevant since routine measurements are not always available. This work aimed to determine which of the models used to estimate daily total global solar irradiance (TGSI) is the best model when irradiance measurements are scarce in a given site. A model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) and empirical models based on temperature and sunshine measurements were analyzed and evaluated in Córdoba, Argentina.

Latitudinal distribution of OCPs in the open ocean atmosphere between the Argentinian coast and Antarctic Peninsula.

Long-range atmospheric transport is one of the most important ways in which persistent organic pollutants can be transported from their source to remote and pristine regions. Here, we report the results of the first Argentinian measurements of organochlorine pesticides in the Antarctic region. During a 9665-km track onboard OV ARA Puerto Deseado, within the framework of Argentinian Antarctic Expeditions, air samples were taken using high-volume samplers and analyzed using GC-μECD.

Field surveys for potential ozone bioindicator plant species in Argentina.

In Argentina no historical or present programs exist specifically assessing ecosystem health with respect to photochemical air pollution, although phytotoxic concentrations of near-ground ozone have been documented in recent years. Here we report our preliminary findings on field observations of ozone-like injury found in natural plant populations and agroecosystems late in the 2005 growing season in the Southern Hemisphere. Several possible ozone bioindicator plants which have not been previously documented were observed to exhibit foliar symptoms consistent with ozone-induced injury.

Recovery of the histogram of hourly ozone distribution from weekly average concentrations.

A simple method is presented for estimating hourly distribution of air pollutants, based on data collected by passive sensors on a weekly or bi-weekly basis with no need for previous measurements at a site. In order for this method to be applied to locations where no hourly records are available, reference data from other sites are required to generate calibration histograms. The proposed procedure allows one to obtain the histogram of hourly ozone values during a given week with an error of about 30%, which is good considering the simplicity of this approach.

A method to estimate emission rates from industrial stacks based on neural networks.

This paper presents a technique based on artificial neural networks (ANN) to estimate pollutant rates of emission from industrial stacks, on the basis of pollutant concentrations measured on the ground. The ANN is trained on data generated by the ISCST3 model, widely accepted for evaluation of dispersion of primary pollutants as a part of an environmental impact study. Simulations using theoretical values and comparison with field data are done, obtaining good results in both cases at predicting emission rates.