The influence of meteorological conditions and anthropogenic activities on the seasonal fluctuations of BTEX in the urban air of the Hanseatic city of Gdansk, Poland.

Abstract

The results of studies conducted in Gdansk in the period from January to December 2013 and focused on the determination of BTEX in the atmospheric air are presented. At the stage of the isolation and/or enrichment of analytes from the gaseous medium, a passive sampling technique-Radiello® diffusive passive samplers, was applied. The time-weighted average annual concentration of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes determined in the monitored area was as follows: 0.66 ± 0.32, 1.63 ± 0.94, 0.67 ± 0.61, and 2.9 ± 2.7 μg/m(3). As a result of the research, the potential emission sources of BTEX, which activity has a significant impact on the concentration of these compounds in the atmosphere in the Gdansk area, were identified. A comparison of the accuracy and precision of the results of benzene concentrations in the atmosphere obtained by the BTEX automatic analyzer and passive techniques was performed. Moreover, a significant influence of meteorological conditions, such as air temperature, intensity of solar radiation, velocity and direction of wind, humidity, and rainfall on the benzene content in ambient air was shown. Additionally, in order to determine the conditions in the area covered by the monitoring, information about atmospheric stability and the height of the mixing layer was presented.