B. Artíñano

Anthropogenic and natural influence on the PM10 and PM2.5 aerosol in Madrid (Spain). Analysis of high concentration episodes

Non-mineral carbon is the main component of PM10 and PM2.5 at an urban roadside site in Madrid accounting for more than 50% of the total bulk mass in winter pollution episodes. In these cases a 70-80% of the particle mass is anthropogenic. Particles of crustal/mineral origin contribute significantly to the observed PM10 concentrations, especially in spring and summer. They have also been found in the PM2.5 fraction although secondary particles are the next most important contributor in this size. Long-range transport particle episodes of Saharan dust significantly contribute to exceedence of the new daily limiting PM10 value in the urban network and at nearby rural background stations. This type of long-range transport event also influences PM2.5 concentrations. The crustal contribution can account for up to 67 and 53% of the PM10 and PM2.5 bulk mass in such cases.

Seasonal evolution of suspended particles around a large coal-fired power station: particulate levels and sources

The present work focuses on the seasonal evolution of suspended particles (TSP and PM10) around the Teruel power station in NE Spain. The specific objectives are the determination of the spatial and time variability of levels of suspended particles, and their relationship with the power plant emissions and other natural or anthropogenic (local or external) particulate sources. The results show a marked seasonal trend, along the study period (July 1995–August 1996) which is characterized by particulate levels that were higher in spring–summer and decreased progressively towards winter. This trend may be related to (a) higher summer oxidation which increased levels of secondary particles, (b) higher convective circulation in summer which raised levels of soil-related particles and anthropogenic particles, (c) higher frequency of intrusion episodes of Sahara air masses in summer and spring, and (d) lower aerosol scavenging potential in summer. The similarity between the seasonal evolutions of daily mean levels of SO2 and particulates is due to the fact that both are partially controlled by the solar cycle. The long range transport particulate inputs affecting this area of the Mediterranean Basin (mainly Sahara air mass intrusions) account for major particulate peaks recorded at the monitoring stations. The influence of the emissions from the power plant in the PM10 and TSP levels is evidenced only in periods with a low background particulate levels. The results demonstrate that even PM10 levels are still highly influenced by the Saharian and European particulate inputs. Therefore, for an accurate environmental assessment, probably PM2.5 should be monitored instead of TSP or PM10, in order to quantify the influence of the power plant emissions on the bulk atmospheric particulate levels. The results obtained from the air back-trajectory analysis and their comparison with the time series of daily PM10 levels allowed the classification of the major external particulate inputs as a function of the particulate levels.

Climatic feedbacks and desertification: The Mediterranean model

Abstract Mesometeorological information obtained in several research projects in southern Europe has been used to analyze perceived changes in the western Mediterranean summer storm regime. A procedure was developed to disaggregate daily precipitation data into three main components: frontal precipitation, summer storms, and Mediterranean cyclogenesis. Working hypotheses were derived on the likely processes involved. The results indicate that the precipitation regime in this Mediterranean region is very sensitive to variations in surface airmass temperature and moisture. Land-use perturbations that accumulated over historical time and greatly accelerated in the last 30 yr may have induced changes from an open, monsoon-type regime with frequent summer storms over the mountains inland to one dominated by closed vertical recirculations where feedback mechanisms favor the loss of storms over the coastal mountains and additional heating of the sea surface temperature during summer. This, in turn, favors Medite...

The effect of meso-scale flows on regional and long-range atmospheric transport in the western Mediterranean area

Abstract Experimental evidence accumulated over the years indicates that the formation of the Iberian thermal low on summer days is intimately associated with complex dispersion behavior of atmospheric pollutants emitted within the whole of Spain and in particular for those emitted in the coastal areas. The project “Mesometeorological Cycles of Air Pollution in the Iberian Peninsula”, sponsored by the CEC, is intended to study the origin and evolution of the atmospheric circulations responsible for the observed behaviour, and document their importance in Spain and in the Mediterranean basin as a whole. To characterize the processes involved, tall stack plumes from four sites in Spain have been tracked with COSPEC remote sensors and used as tracers of opportunity of the flow at their level. This information is being combined with available historical meteorological data to compose a mosaic of atmospheric circulation patterns for the whole of the Iberian peninsula and surrounding regions. The analysis performed to date confirms that: (a) the formation of the thermal low on summer days forces an inward flow of the coastal emissions towards the central plateau, (b) this convergence occurs at the peninsular level, (c) the inflow is mostly ageostrophic and strongly channelled along natural mountain passes, and (d) the marine airmass pulled inland along the Spanish east coast is highly enriched with O 3 . The latter, (d), appears to indicate that a compensatory flow to the thermal low is provided by subsidence over the colder waters of the Gulf of Lyon and northwestern Mediterranean area. In turn, this favors the formation of northeasterly winds along the Spanish east coast during the night, and may explain the O 3 levels as a result of regional transport of precursors from source regins in this general area.

Assessment of airborne particulate levels in Spain in relation to the new EU-directive

This study deals with PM10 levels obtained at several Spanish air quality monitoring urban, industrial and rural stations. Comparison with current national regulations on airborne concentrations of particulate matter showed that the standard limits are never exceeded in the selected areas. However, the limit values proposed in both stages of the recently approved European directive would be exceeded in the current situation. Seasonal distribution of exceedences shows a variety of patterns suggesting different contributions from anthropogenic and natural sources. PM10 levels were found to be affected by natural sources of a non-local origin or even attributed to long-range transport processes from arid or desert zones.

Determination of Drugs of Abuse in Airborne Particles by Pressurized Liquid Extraction and Liquid Chromatography-Electrospray-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

This work describes the first analytical method specifically developed for the multianalyte determination of several drugs of abuse and their metabolites in air. The methodology is based on pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) of atmospheric particles collected by means of high volume sampler equipped with quartz microfiber filters and subsequent analysis of the extracts by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Up to 17 different compounds belonging to five different chemical classes (cocainics, amphetamine-like compounds, opioids, cannabinoids, and lysergic compounds) are determined by means of this methodology. Acquisition is performed in the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode recording two transitions per compound (except for amphetamine). Quantitation by the internal standard method is based on the use of surrogated deuterated standards. The method has been validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, repeatability and sensitivity with satisfactory results. Absolute recoveries were above 50% for most investigated compounds. Method precision showed relative standard deviations (RSD) below 13% for all compounds, except for cannabinoids. The method limits of determination ranged from 0.35 pg/m(3) (for 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD) to 22.55 pg/m(3) (for 11-nor-9 carboxy THC). Finally, as a part of the method validation, the optimized procedure was applied to the analysis of ambient air samples (fine grain-size particulates, PM(2.5)) collected at two urban background sites in Barcelona and Madrid (Spain). Results evidenced the presence of cocaine, benzoilecgonine, tetrahydrocannabinol, ecstasy, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and heroin in some or all of the samples investigated. The highest mean daily levels corresponded to cocaine (850 pg/m(3)) followed by heroin (143 pg/m(3)).

Passive remote sensing of nitrogen dioxide as a tool for tracking air pollution in urban areas: the Madrid urban plume, a case of study

Abstract This paper describes the experimental potential of a classic ground-based passive remote sensing technique, the dispersive correlation spectroscopy (DCS), for the study of non-industrial urban plumes. The text presents this technique as an alternative tool to study some aspects of air pollution in cities, in contrast to the information supplied by air pollution monitoring networks. The results obtained with DCS in the study of Madrid plume in winter, one of the most important cases of urban pollution taking place in southern Europe, are presented here as an example of the DCS application. This highly inhabited zone, where pollutant emissions have essentially an urban origin, stays frequently under the influence of high-pressure systems, which strongly condition the efficient ventilation of the area and produce air pollution episodes of certain importance. The study presented here has been based on the previous technical improvement of the commercial COSPEC V instrument and on its use as a passive remote sensor from a mobile laboratory measuring NO2 total column. The formation process of the Madrid plume, its horizontal limits and the dynamics of transport are some of the aspects documented with this technique.

Short-term effects of particulate matter constituents on daily hospitalizations and mortality in five South-European cities: results from the MED-PARTICLES project.

BACKGROUND Few recent studies examined acute effects on health of individual chemical species in the particulate matter (PM) mixture, and most of them have been conducted in North America. Studies in Southern Europe are scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between particulate matter constituents and daily hospital admissions and mortality in five cities in Southern Europe. METHODS The study included five cities in Southern Europe, three cities in Spain: Barcelona (2003-2010), Madrid (2007-2008) and Huelva (2003-2010); and two cities in Italy: Rome (2005-2007) and Bologna (2011-2013). A case-crossover design was used to link cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions and total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality with a pre-defined list of 16 PM10 and PM2.5 constituents. Lags 0 to 2 were examined. City-specific results were combined by random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS Most of the elements studied, namely EC, SO4(2-), SiO2, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Ti, Mn, V and Ni, showed increased percent changes in cardiovascular and/or respiratory hospitalizations, mainly at lags 0 and 1. The percent increase by one interquartile range (IQR) change ranged from 0.69% to 3.29%. After adjustment for total PM levels, only associations for Mn, Zn and Ni remained significant. For mortality, although positive associations were identified (Fe and Ti for total mortality; EC and Mg for cardiovascular mortality; and NO3(-) for respiratory mortality) the patterns were less clear. CONCLUSIONS The associations found in this study reflect that several PM constituents, originating from different sources, may drive previously reported results between PM and hospital admissions in the Mediterranean area.

Drugs of abuse in airborne particulates in urban environments

The presence of cocaine, heroin, cannabinoids and amphetamines, among other drugs of abuse, was detected in airborne particulates in urban environments in Spain. The levels of these compounds were determined at air quality monitoring sites by the application of a novel and specifically targeted analytical methodology, by which mean daily concentrations of cocaine (204-480 pg/m(3), up to one order of magnitude higher than in Italy and Portugal), cannabinoids (THC, 27-44 pg/m(3)), amphetamine (1.4-2.3 pg/m(3)) and heroin (9-143 pg/m(3)) were determined in the atmosphere. Results allowed detecting common temporal consumption patterns between cocaine and cannabis (with week-end maxima), but markedly distinct consumer groups. Personal exposure to the levels of all the drugs detected may be considered negligible, posing no harm for human health. Given the worldwide scarcity of data on drug levels in atmospheric particulates, we present this methodology as a fast, economic and reliable tool to obtain high quality data for the monitoring of drug abuse and drug dealing in cities. Applications include the detection of changes in drug consumption trends, the mapping of drug consumption and/or dealing areas in cities, and the identification of new emerging drugs.

Modelling the influence of peri-urban trees in the air quality of Madrid region (Spain)

Tropospheric ozone (O(3)) is considered one of the most important air pollutants affecting human health. The role of peri-urban vegetation in modifying O(3) concentrations has been analyzed in the Madrid region (Spain) using the V200603par-rc1 version of the CHIMERE air quality model. The 3.7 version of the MM5 meteorological model was used to provide meteorological input data to the CHIMERE. The emissions were derived from the EMEP database for 2003. Land use data and the stomatal conductance model included in CHIMERE were modified according to the latest information available for the study area. Two cases were considered for the period April-September 2003: (1) actual land use and (2) a fictitious scenario where El Pardo peri-urban forest was converted to bare-soil. The results show that El Pardo forest constitutes a sink of O(3) since removing this green area increased O(3) levels over the modified area and over down-wind surrounding areas.