Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software
Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (including black carbon (BC)) pose serious health issues and play significant roles in atmospheric radiative properties. Two-year measurements (2015–2016) of aerosol light absorption, combined with measurements of sub-micrometric particles, were continuously con...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/516 |
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| author | María Piñeiro-Iglesias Javier Andrade-Garda Sonia Suárez-Garaboa Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo Purificación López-Mahía Darío Prada-Rodríguez |
| author_facet | María Piñeiro-Iglesias Javier Andrade-Garda Sonia Suárez-Garaboa Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo Purificación López-Mahía Darío Prada-Rodríguez |
| author_sort | María Piñeiro-Iglesias |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (including black carbon (BC)) pose serious health issues and play significant roles in atmospheric radiative properties. Two-year measurements (2015–2016) of aerosol light absorption, combined with measurements of sub-micrometric particles, were continuously conducted in A Coruña (northwest (NW) Spain) to determine their light absorption properties: absorption coefficients (σabs) and the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE). The mean and standard deviation of equivalent black carbon (eBC) during the period of study were 0.85 ± 0.83 µg m<sup>−3</sup>, which are lower than other values measured in urban areas of Spain and Europe. High eBC concentrations found in winter are associated with an increase in emissions from anthropogenic sources in combination with lower mixing layer heights and frequent stagnant conditions. The pronounced diurnal variability suggests a strong influence from local sources. AAE had an average value of 1.26 ± 0.22 which implies that both fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning influenced optical aerosol properties. This also highlights biomass combustion in suburban areas, where the use of wood for domestic heating is encouraged, as an important source of eBC. All data treatment was gathered using SCALA<sup>©</sup> as atmospheric aerosol data management support software program. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:51:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23ebed585893401885028a0673915e9f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:51:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-23ebed585893401885028a0673915e9f2023-12-03T12:16:33ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172021-01-0111251610.3390/app11020516Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management SoftwareMaría Piñeiro-Iglesias0Javier Andrade-Garda1Sonia Suárez-Garaboa2Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo3Purificación López-Mahía4Darío Prada-Rodríguez5Grupo de Química Analítica Aplicada (QANAP), Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), AE CICA-INIBIC, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainGrupo ISLA, Departamento de Ciencias da Computación e Tecnoloxías da Información, Facultade de Informática, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainGrupo ISLA, Departamento de Ciencias da Computación e Tecnoloxías da Información, Facultade de Informática, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainGrupo de Química Analítica Aplicada (QANAP), Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), AE CICA-INIBIC, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainGrupo de Química Analítica Aplicada (QANAP), Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), AE CICA-INIBIC, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainGrupo de Química Analítica Aplicada (QANAP), Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), AE CICA-INIBIC, Universidade da Coruña, 15071 A Coruña, SpainLight-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols (including black carbon (BC)) pose serious health issues and play significant roles in atmospheric radiative properties. Two-year measurements (2015–2016) of aerosol light absorption, combined with measurements of sub-micrometric particles, were continuously conducted in A Coruña (northwest (NW) Spain) to determine their light absorption properties: absorption coefficients (σabs) and the absorption Ångström exponent (AAE). The mean and standard deviation of equivalent black carbon (eBC) during the period of study were 0.85 ± 0.83 µg m<sup>−3</sup>, which are lower than other values measured in urban areas of Spain and Europe. High eBC concentrations found in winter are associated with an increase in emissions from anthropogenic sources in combination with lower mixing layer heights and frequent stagnant conditions. The pronounced diurnal variability suggests a strong influence from local sources. AAE had an average value of 1.26 ± 0.22 which implies that both fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning influenced optical aerosol properties. This also highlights biomass combustion in suburban areas, where the use of wood for domestic heating is encouraged, as an important source of eBC. All data treatment was gathered using SCALA<sup>©</sup> as atmospheric aerosol data management support software program.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/516equivalent black carbonabsorption Ångström exponentultrafine particlesbiomass burningSCALA<sup>©</sup> platform |
| spellingShingle | María Piñeiro-Iglesias Javier Andrade-Garda Sonia Suárez-Garaboa Soledad Muniategui-Lorenzo Purificación López-Mahía Darío Prada-Rodríguez Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software Applied Sciences equivalent black carbon absorption Ångström exponent ultrafine particles biomass burning SCALA<sup>©</sup> platform |
| title | Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software |
| title_full | Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software |
| title_fullStr | Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software |
| title_short | Study of Temporal Variations of Equivalent Black Carbon in a Coastal City in Northwest Spain Using an Atmospheric Aerosol Data Management Software |
| title_sort | study of temporal variations of equivalent black carbon in a coastal city in northwest spain using an atmospheric aerosol data management software |
| topic | equivalent black carbon absorption Ångström exponent ultrafine particles biomass burning SCALA<sup>©</sup> platform |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/516 |
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