Environment International (Aug 2023)

The variability of mass concentrations and source apportionment analysis of equivalent black carbon across urban Europe

  • Marjan Savadkoohi,
  • Marco Pandolfi,
  • Cristina Reche,
  • Jarkko V. Niemi,
  • Dennis Mooibroek,
  • Gloria Titos,
  • David C. Green,
  • Anja H. Tremper,
  • Christoph Hueglin,
  • Eleni Liakakou,
  • Nikos Mihalopoulos,
  • Iasonas Stavroulas,
  • Begoña Artiñano,
  • Esther Coz,
  • Lucas Alados-Arboledas,
  • David Beddows,
  • Véronique Riffault,
  • Joel F. De Brito,
  • Susanne Bastian,
  • Alexia Baudic,
  • Cristina Colombi,
  • Francesca Costabile,
  • Benjamin Chazeau,
  • Nicolas Marchand,
  • José Luis Gómez-Amo,
  • Víctor Estellés,
  • Violeta Matos,
  • Ed van der Gaag,
  • Grégory Gille,
  • Krista Luoma,
  • Hanna E. Manninen,
  • Michael Norman,
  • Sanna Silvergren,
  • Jean-Eudes Petit,
  • Jean-Philippe Putaud,
  • Oliver V. Rattigan,
  • Hilkka Timonen,
  • Thomas Tuch,
  • Maik Merkel,
  • Kay Weinhold,
  • Stergios Vratolis,
  • Jeni Vasilescu,
  • Olivier Favez,
  • Roy M. Harrison,
  • Paolo Laj,
  • Alfred Wiedensohler,
  • Philip K. Hopke,
  • Tuukka Petäjä,
  • Andrés Alastuey,
  • Xavier Querol

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 178
p. 108081

Abstract

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This study analyzed the variability of equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations and their sources in urban Europe to provide insights into the use of eBC as an advanced air quality (AQ) parameter for AQ standards. This study compiled eBC mass concentration datasets covering the period between 2006 and 2022 from 50 measurement stations, including 23 urban background (UB), 18 traffic (TR), 7 suburban (SUB), and 2 regional background (RB) sites. The results highlighted the need for the harmonization of eBC measurements to allow for direct comparisons between eBC mass concentrations measured across urban Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited a decreasing trend as follows: TR > UB > SUB > RB. Furthermore, a clear decreasing trend in eBC concentrations was observed in the UB sites moving from Southern to Northern Europe. The eBC mass concentrations exhibited significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, including marked differences in eBC mass concentration and variable contributions of pollution sources to bulk eBC between different cities. Seasonal patterns in eBC concentrations were also evident, with higher winter concentrations observed in a large proportion of cities, especially at UB and SUB sites. The contribution of eBC from fossil fuel combustion, mostly traffic (eBCT) was higher than that of residential and commercial sources (eBCRC) in all European sites studied. Nevertheless, eBCRC still had a substantial contribution to total eBC mass concentrations at a majority of the sites. eBC trend analysis revealed decreasing trends for eBCT over the last decade, while eBCRC remained relatively constant or even increased slightly in some cities.

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