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A study to discriminate local, urban and regional source contributions to the particulate matter concentrations in the city of Dresden, Germany

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Abstract

The fractions of local traffic (LT), urban background (UBG) and regional background (RBG) of the particle pollution at a traffic-influenced kerbside in Dresden, Germany, were determined by measurements of size-segregated mass concentration, chemical composition and particle size distributions in a network of five measurement stations partly existing and partly set up for this study. Besides the kerbside station, one urban background site and three rural sites were included in the study. Using data from these different sites, the LT, UBG, and RBG contributions were calculated, following the approach of Lenschow et al. (2001). At the kerbside site, 19% of the total number concentration (DpSt = 10–600 nm) could be attributed to the RBG, 15% to the UBG, and 66% to the LT immediately nearby. Particle mass concentrations up to Dpaer = 420 nm RBG amounts to 68%, UBG to 21%, and LT only to 11%. Highest mass concentrations were observed at all stations in autumn and winter during easterly inflow directions. The local traffic fraction of PM10 mass at the kerbside station was found to be 30% for westerly inflow, but only 7% for southeasterly inflow due to the dominating transport fraction from up to 80% of the particle mass at this inflow direction. Size-resolved investigation showed the main fractions in both the particle size ranges of Dpaer = 0.42 to 1.2 and 0.14 to 0.42 μm at all stations. The main components sulphate, ammonium and total carbon showed higher concentrations at south-eastern/eastern inflow in autumn at all stations, while nitrate at the kerbside and urban background site was higher during westerly inflow in winter. The chemical composition at the regional background site at westerly inflow (12% nitrate, 8% sulphate, 11% total carbon) was significantly different from that at easterly inflow (3% nitrate, 15% sulphate, 22% total carbon). The prevailing part of the ionic mass was always found in the fine particle range of Dpaer = 0.14 to 1.2 μm at all stations. For all inflow directions highest total carbon concentrations were observed at the kerbside station, especially in the ultra-fine size range of Dpaer = 0.05 to 0.14 μm with up to 30% of the whole carbon. PAH concentrations were always higher at south-eastern/eastern inflow especially during wintertime. Trace metal components and silicon were found mainly in the coarse mode fraction at the kerbside resulting from abrasion or resuspension.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of this study by the Saxonian Agency for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG, Contract No.: 13-0345.42/254) and the cooperation with the Environmental Operation Company (UBG). For laboratory work and support in the field measurements the authors thank A. Dietze, B. Gerlach, A. Grüner, S. Haferkorn, J. Hanß, E. Neumann, A. Thomas, and Th. Tuch. The authors also thank Alfred Wiedensohler for fruitful discussions in the early phase of the project.

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  1. Leibniz—Institut für Troposphärenforschung (IfT), Leipzig, Germany

    T. Gnauk, K. Müller, E. Brüggemann, W. Birmili, K. Weinhold, D. van Pinxteren, G. Spindler & H. Herrmann

  2. Section Regional Air Pollution Control, Climate Change, LfULG—Saxon State Agency for Environment, Agriculture, and Geology, Dresden, Germany

    G. Löschau

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  1. T. Gnauk
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Gnauk, T., Müller, K., Brüggemann, E. et al. A study to discriminate local, urban and regional source contributions to the particulate matter concentrations in the city of Dresden, Germany. J Atmos Chem 68, 199–231 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-012-9216-7

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