Identification of volatile organic compounds and their sources driving ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation in NE Spain.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a crucial role in the formation of ozone (O) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). We conducted measurements of VOC ambient mixing ratios during both summer and winter at two stations: a Barcelona urban background station (BCN) and the Montseny rural background station (MSY). Subsequently, we employed positive matrix factorization (PMF) to analyze the VOC mixing ratios and identify their sources.

Characterizing the sources of ambient PM organic aerosol in urban and rural Catalonia, Spain.

Organic aerosols (OA) have recently been shown to be the dominant contributor to the oxidative potential of airborne particulate matter in northeastern Spain. We collected PM filter samples every fourth day from January 2017 to March 2018 at two sampling stations located in Barcelona city and Montseny Natural Park, representing urban and rural areas, respectively. The chemical composition of PM was analyzed offline using a broad set of analytical instruments, including high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HR-ToF-AMS), a total organic carbon analyzer (TCA), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), ion chromatography (IC), and thermal-optical carbon analyzer.

Discovering oxidative potential (OP) drivers of atmospheric PM, PM, and PM simultaneously in North-Eastern Spain.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) is a major contributor to air pollution, leading to adverse health effects on the human population. It has been suggested that the oxidative potential (OP, as a tracer of oxidative stress) of PM is a possible determinant of its health impact. In this study, samples of PM, PM, and PM were collected roughly every four days from January 2018 until March 2019 at a Barcelona urban background site and Montseny rural background site in northeastern Spain.

Compositional changes of PM in NE Spain during 2009-2018: A trend analysis of the chemical composition and source apportionment.

In this work, time-series analyses of the chemical composition and source contributions of PM from an urban background station in Barcelona (BCN) and a rural background station in Montseny (MSY) in northeastern Spain from 2009 to 2018 were investigated and compared. A multisite positive matrix factorization analysis was used to compare the source contributions between the two stations, while the trends for both the chemical species and source contributions were studied using the Theil-Sen trend estimator. Between 2009 and 2018, both stations showed a statistically significant decrease in PM concentrations, which was driven by the downward trends of levels of chemical species and anthropogenic source contributions, mainly from heavy oil combustion, mixed combustion, industry, and secondary sulfate.