| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4429928 | Science of The Total Environment | 2011 | 12 Pages |
The influence of Saharan dust on the air quality of Southern European big cities became a priority during the last decade. The present study reports results on PM10 monitored at an urban site at 14 m above ground level during an intense Saharan dust transport event. The elemental composition was determined by Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (EDXRF) for 12 elements: Si, Al, Fe, K, Ca, Mg, Ti, S, Ni, Cu, Zn and Mn. PM10 concentrations exceeded the EU limit (50 μg/m3) several times during the sampling period. Simultaneous maxima have been observed for the elements of crustal origin. The concentrations of all the elements presented a common maximum, corresponding to the date where the atmosphere was heavily charged with particulate matter permanently for an interval of about 10 h. Sulfur and heavy metal concentrations were also associated to local emissions. Mineral dust represented the largest fraction of PM10 reaching 79%. Seven days back trajectories have shown that the air masses arriving over Athens, originated from Western Sahara. Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) revealed that particle agglomerates were abundant, most of them having sizes < 2 μm. Aluminosilicates were predominant in dust particles also rich in calcium which was distributed between calcite, dolomite, gypsum and Ca–Si particles. These results were consistent with the origin of the dust particles and the elemental composition results. Sulfur and heavy metals were associated to very fine particles < 1 μm.
► The paper focuses on the contribution of Saharan dust in PM10 levels at an urban site. ► High Ca and Fe, calcite, illite and smectites and poor quartz contents are related to source-regions. ► The data sets presented are in very good agreement and are also strongly confirmed by literature. ► Dust contribution in PM10 can be of comparable importance for both an urban and a remote location. ► Sulfates associated to submicronic fraction, contributed significantly to the total PM10.
