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Pollution Levels and Deposition Processes of Airborne Pollutants: Temporal Variabilities...
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Pollution Levels and Deposition Processes of Airborne Pollutants: Temporal Variabilities and Source Identification

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 6422

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sanja Frka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Bijenička C. 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: atmospheric deposition; aerosol organic matter; air pollution; source apportionment; air–sea interface; climate change
Dr. Ana Kroflič

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute of Chemistry, Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: atmospheric aerosols; chemical characterization of organic aerosols; atmospheric multi-phase processes; kinetics and mechanisms of SOA formation and aging; surface deposition and effects of particulate matter; toxicity of atmospheric aerosols and their components; radiative effects of atmospheric aerosols; air pollution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atmospheric pollution far exceeds any other form of pollution today, and strongly affects human health and Earth’s climate. The atmosphere is also the dominant pathway by which both natural and anthropogenic organic and inorganic chemicals in gaseous and particulate forms are transported, and deposition events are the most important processes by which these chemicals are removed from the atmosphere and deposited on different surfaces (e.g., water bodies, vegetation, buildings, soil). The environmental consequences of these processes can be either harmful or beneficial. On one hand, atmospheric deposition represents an additional delivery of nutrients to plants. On the other, the deposition of acid species and nutrients may contribute to the acidification and eutrophication of various ecosystems and can be a significant source of hazardous environmental pollutants such as trace metals and toxic organic compounds. Atmospheric pollution is also a major threat to calcareous buildings and monuments in urban areas, since air pollutants deposit on these surfaces, accumulate and interact with the stone substrate. Various meteorological, hydrological, physical, and chemical processes are involved in atmospheric dry and wet deposition, which is becoming increasingly important in explaining pollution in many environmental compartments and in assessing the temporal variabilities of air pollution and the effects of pollution sources over long and short distances.

This Special Issue aims to gather studies covering all aspects of this topic, and we encourage scientists around the world to contribute original research papers and reviews. We welcome contributions from monitoring programs, field experiments, and associated laboratory/modelling studies that deliver data of broad relevance. This topic could be addressed from several different perspectives, including but not limited to:

  • Temporal variability of physical and chemical properties of atmospheric aerosols in different environments;
  • Source apportionment and air pollution control strategy;
  • Influence of meteorology and/or emission reduction on local/regional air quality;
  • Deposition fluxes of atmospheric pollutants, controlling factors and environmental effects;
  • Variation of wet and dry depositions due to climate change;
  • Characterization and influence of atmospheric pollution/deposition on cultural heritage sites;
  • Impacts of atmospheric deposition on ocean ecosystems;
  • New technologies/models for the observation and study of atmospheric deposition.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sanja Frka
Dr. Ana Kroflič
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • atmospheric aerosols
  • source apportionment
  • atmospheric deposition
  • deposition impacts
  • environmental chemistry
  • field and laboratory approaches

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 3566 KiB  
Article
Sources, Ionic Composition and Acidic Properties of Bulk and Wet Atmospheric Deposition in the Eastern Middle Adriatic Region
by Valentina Gluščić, Silva Žužul, Gordana Pehnec, Ivana Jakovljević, Iva Smoljo, Ranka Godec, Ivan Bešlić, Andrea Milinković, Saranda Bakija Alempijević and Sanja Frka
Toxics 2023, 11(7), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070551 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1232
Abstract
Atmospheric bulk and wet deposition samples were collected simultaneously at the background coastal site in the Eastern Middle Adriatic region in order to assess the impact of major ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na+, [...] Read more.
Atmospheric bulk and wet deposition samples were collected simultaneously at the background coastal site in the Eastern Middle Adriatic region in order to assess the impact of major ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na+, K+, NH4+, Mg2+, Ca2+) on deposition acidity and distinguish the main sources. Higher ion levels were observed during the cold period, especially for Cl−, Na+, Mg2+ and K+. Dust intrusion caused significant increases in levels of Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+, while open-fire events increased the levels of K+. Deposition acidity showed seasonal differences as well as the influence of dust intrusion. Low ionic balance ratios indicated acidic deposition properties and the presence of organic anions. The highest neutralization ability was found for Ca2+, Na+ and NH4+. Several natural (marine, crustal) and anthropogenic sources were determined, as well as the formation of secondary aerosols. Wet deposition was characterized by higher contribution of sea salt fraction compared to bulk deposition and lower contribution of crustal fraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Levels and Deposition Processes of Airborne Pollutants: Temporal Variabilities and Source Identification)
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14 pages, 2335 KiB  
Article
Seasonality of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Their Derivatives in PM2.5 from Ljubljana, Combustion Aerosol Source Apportionment, and Cytotoxicity of Selected Nitrated Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (NPAHs)
by Ivana Drventić, Mateo Glumac, Ivana Carev and Ana Kroflič
Toxics 2023, 11(6), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11060518 - 8 Jun 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2510
Abstract
Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a vector of many toxic pollutants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. Especially harmful is the fine fraction (PM2.5), which penetrates deep into the lungs during inhalation and causes various diseases. Amongst PM2.5 components [...] Read more.
Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a vector of many toxic pollutants, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives. Especially harmful is the fine fraction (PM2.5), which penetrates deep into the lungs during inhalation and causes various diseases. Amongst PM2.5 components with toxic potential are nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), knowledge of which is still rudimentary. Three of the measured NPAHs (1-nitropyrene (1-nP), 9-nitroanthracene (9-nA), and 6-nitrochrysene (6-nC)) were detected in ambient PM2.5 from Ljubljana, Slovenia, along with thirteen non-nitrated PAHs. The highest concentrations of pollutants, which are closely linked with incomplete combustion, were observed in the cold part of the year, whereas the concentrations of NPAHs were roughly an order of magnitude lower than those of PAHs throughout the year. Further on, we have evaluated the toxicity of four NPAHs, including 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-nBaP), to the human kidney cell line, HEK293T. The most potent was 1-nP (IC50 = 28.7 µM), followed by the other three NPAHs, whose IC50 was above 400 or 800 µM. According to our cytotoxicity assessment, atmospheric 1-nP is the most harmful NPAH among the investigated ones. Despite low airborne concentrations of NPAHs in ambient air, they are generally considered harmful to human health. Therefore, systematic toxicological assessment of NPAHs at different trophic levels, starting with cytotoxicity testing, is necessary in order to accurately evaluate their threat and adopt appropriate abatement strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Levels and Deposition Processes of Airborne Pollutants: Temporal Variabilities and Source Identification)
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19 pages, 18785 KiB  
Article
Highly Time-Resolved Apportionment of Carbonaceous Aerosols from Wildfire Using the TC–BC Method: Camp Fire 2018 Case Study
by Matic Ivančič, Martin Rigler, Bálint Alföldy, Gašper Lavrič, Irena Ježek Brecelj and Asta Gregorič
Toxics 2023, 11(6), 497; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11060497 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2032
Abstract
The Camp Fire was one of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfires, and its widespread smoke threatened human health over a large area in Northern California in November 2018. To analyze the Camp Fire influence on air quality on a 200 km distant [...] Read more.
The Camp Fire was one of California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfires, and its widespread smoke threatened human health over a large area in Northern California in November 2018. To analyze the Camp Fire influence on air quality on a 200 km distant site in Berkeley, highly time-resolved total carbon (TC), black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) were measured using the Carbonaceous Aerosol Speciation System (CASS, Aerosol Magee Scientific), comprising two instruments, a Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08 in tandem with an Aethalometer AE33. During the period when the air quality was affected by wildfire smoke, the BC concentrations increased four times above the typical air pollution level presented in Berkeley before and after the event, and the OC increased approximately ten times. High-time-resolution measurements allow us to study the aging of OC and investigate how the characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols evolve over the course of the fire event. A higher fraction of secondary carbonaceous aerosols was observed in the later phase of the fire. At the same time, the amount of light-absorbing organic aerosol (brown carbon) declined with time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pollution Levels and Deposition Processes of Airborne Pollutants: Temporal Variabilities and Source Identification)
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