Source assessment of particulate air pollutants measured at the southwest European coast

Aerosol particles and gaseous species were measured in air masses transported to the west coast of Portugal, between November 1993 and August 1994. Samples were taken during four monitoring campaigns distributed along the various seasons of the year, integrated in the EC Project: BMCAPE. Aerosol particles were collected with separation in two size fractions and analysed in relation to total mass, water soluble ions, trace elements and black/organic carbon. Local micro-meteorological parameters and air mass backward trajectories were compared with analytical results in order to define characteristic air mass types and to evaluate the origin of pollutants. Average concentrations on the Portuguese west coast, even in maritime air masses, are higher than values observed in remote oceanic locations. This is probably a consequence of continental European air masses recirculation through the eastern Atlantic Ocean, reinforced by situations of mesoscale transport from the Iberian Peninsula. Principal Component Analysis permitted the identification of five source groups for the fine and coarse aerosol fractions, namely combustion plus road traffic, sea salt spray, secondary aerosol production, soil and possibly non-ferrous metallurgy industries. Ln the aerosol fine fraction road traffic and combustion contribute on average with 25% of the total fine aerosol mass, while sea spray and secondary production represent 14% and 31%, respectively of the mass loading. Sea spray is by far the major contributor to the coarse fraction with an average of 88% of the suspended coarse aerosol mass. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd