Desert Dust Contribution to PM10 Loads in Styria (Southern Austria) and Impact on Exceedance of Limit Values from 2013–2018

Marion Greilinger,Johannes Zbiral,Anne Kasper-Giebl

doi:10.3390/app9112265

Marion Greilinger, Johannes Zbiral + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112265

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Abstract

From a legislators point of view, the contribution of natural sources to PM10 loads is relevant since their impact can be subtracted from the daily limit value of PM10 as regulated in a working staff paper by the European Commission (EC), supporting the European Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). This work investigates its applicability for two stations in Austria over a time period of six years (2013 to 2018), as the occurrence of long-range transport of desert dust is observed on a regular base. Different stations and different statistical parameters were evaluated to determine the regional background load and subsequently the net dust load (NDL). Results reveal an adapted approach of the methodology described by the EC, using the +/− 15-day mean average of the PM10 at the regional background station, together with threshold criteria to identify only desert dust affected days. The results of calculated NDLs were in good agreement with crustal loads determined on filter samples during two desert dust events in 2016. Thus, the application of the EC method for a region in Central Europe, which experiences a regular but less pronounced impact of desert dust than stations in the Mediterranean, is discussed.

Highlights

Particulate matter (PM) concentrations are known to have severe impact on global climate and atmospheric chemistry ([1] and references therein) and on human health [2,3]
We evaluate whether long-range transport of desert dust can be quantified via the European Commission (EC) methodology and whether the respective subtractions would influence the exceedance of the short-term limit value for PM10, taking the urban-traffic sampling site Graz Don Bosco as main example
The increase of PM concentrations during winter can on one hand be attributed to an enhanced influence of inorganic secondary aerosols due to lower air temperature and increased humidity and to a stronger influence of wood combustion used for residential heating, as well as regional transport of PM [22,24]

Summary

Introduction

Particulate matter (PM) concentrations are known to have severe impact on global climate and atmospheric chemistry ([1] and references therein) and on human health [2,3]. Therein, a daily limit for PM10 of 50 μg/m3 is stated, which may be exceeded on 35 days per year. Exceedance of the limit values of PM10 are caused mainly by anthropogenic sources such as energy production, traffic and industry, natural sources can contribute as well [4]. In the Mediterranean region natural mineral dust sources are known as important contributors to PM10 exceedance [7,8,9]. If exceedance of limit values can be attributed to a natural phenomenon such as particle intrusion from arid regions (e.g., the Sahara, or the Arabian or Lybian deserts), they can be discounted. According to Equation (1) 1the days,calculated calculated difference between theNDLs. NDLsof of the the respective respective days, as as thethe difference between and BGL, vary around zero.Negative. Figure and Figure it can be seen that the timeofseries of MB feature different characteristics

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