Submicron aerosol pollution in Greater Cairo (Egypt): A new type of urban haze?

Greater Cairo, the largest megacity of the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, is currently suffering from major aerosol pollution, posing a significant threat to public health. However, the main sources of pollution remain insufficiently characterized due to limited atmospheric observations. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a continuous 2-month field study during the winter of 2019-2020 at an urban background site, documenting for the first time the chemical and physical properties of submicron (PM) aerosols.

Reconciling a national methane emission inventory with in-situ measurements.

Reconciling top-down and bottom-up country-level greenhouse gas emission estimates remains a key challenge in the MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) paradigm. Here we propose to independently quantify cumulative emissions from a significant number of methane (CH) emitters at national level and derive robust constraints for the national inventory. Methane emissions in Cyprus, an insular country, stem primarily from waste and agricultural activities.

Local and regional air pollution characteristics in Cyprus: A long-term trace gases observations analysis.

Observations of key gaseous trace pollutants, namely NO, NO, CO, SO and O performed at several curb, residential, industrial, background and free-troposphere sites were analyzed to assess the temporal and spatial variability of pollution in Cyprus. Notably, the analysis utilized one of the longest datasets of 17 years of measurements (2003-2019) in the East Mediterranean and the Middle East (EMME). This region is considered a regional hotspot of ozone and aerosol pollution.

Is atmospheric oxidation capacity better in indicating tropospheric O formation?

Tropospheric ozone (O) concentration is increasing in China along with dramatic changes in precursor emissions and meteorological conditions, adversely affecting human health and ecosystems. O is formed from the complex nonlinear photochemical reactions from nitrogen oxides (NO = NO + NO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Although the mechanism of O formation is rather clear, describing and analyzing its changes and formation potential at fine spatial and temporal resolution is still a challenge today.