Summertime PAH assembly in Mediterranean air: the Herceg Novi sampling station as an example

Abstract

The results of an analysis of the total suspended particles (TSP), total solvent organic extracts (TSOE), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aerosol samples collected from the atmosphere of Herceg Novi from 17th June to 15th September in 1998 and 1999 are presented. The TSP and TSOE concentrations were determined by the standard gravimetric method, whereas the PAHs from the organic part of the aerosol were analysed by the GC-MS method. The difference found in the TSP and TSOE contents between the two consecutive years (before and after the bombing of Yugoslavia) was attributed to changes in the intensity and origin of emissions from dominant sources, specific to the summer period of this region. The content and nature of the PAHs identified in the samples of 1998 and 1999 were also different, indicating the significance of traffic as the source of PAHs, which was of significantly lower intensity in 1999 (immediately after the war) due to the lower influx of tourists. Factor analysis showed that the PAH distribution at the measuring site in 1999 was largely determined by meteorological parameters, mainly by the average daily temperature and wind direction. In 1998, the dominant impact on the PAH distribution was attributed to traffic, both local and from a wider region, without an explicit impact of meteorological parameters.

Keywords

• PAHs
• Mediterranean air polution
• particulate matter
• meteorological conditions
• factor analysis