Book Description
Some of the properties that play a relevant role in the understanding of processes related to the formation and evolution of particles once they have been emitted into the atmosphere and their source apportionment are still poorly known. Chemical composition is a fundamental aerosol property that determines not only its physico-chemical behavior and its effects on air quality and human health,but also plays a determining role in optical properties having important consequences on Earth’s radiative balance by scattering and absorbing sunlight and modifying cloud characteristics. In order to develop effective strategies for the prevention, control and abatement of particulate pollution, the major emission sources and processes leading to aerosol formation in the atmosphere need to be identified and characterized. This thesis is aiming to characterize major ambient aerosol compounds and their time evolution linked to variations in aerosol sources and meteorology conditions. Different geographical and emission scenarios have been studied in an urban background area of Madrid, a trac site located in that city and a station placed in a rural area of the south of Spain. These three sites can be representative of urban and rural areas in Southern Europe, with similar natural and anthropogenic features. An important contribution of this thesis is the experimental approach and instrumental techniques used to characterize the aerosol composition that represent the state-of-the-art on worldwide aerosol studies. These techniques are based on an Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor(ACSM) and an Aethalometer...
