SAPUSS · Solving Aerosol Problems Using Synergistic Strategies

Solving Aerosol Problems Using Synergistic Strategies

Grant Agreement number: 254773, Project acronym: SAPUSS Project title: Solving Aerosol Problems Using Synergistic Strategies Funding Scheme: MC Scientist in charge: Prof. Querol Xavier, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain Researcher: Dr. Manuel Dall’Osto, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain Contacts: manuel.dallosto@idaea.csic.es, xavier.querol@idaea.csic.es. The Marie Curie Action SAPUSS was carried out in the Western Mediterranean Basin from 20 September-20 October 2010. The experiment involved concurrent measurements of aerosols with multiple techniques occurring simultaneously. The key objective was to deduce point aerosol source characteristics and to understand the atmospheric processes responsible for their generations and transformations. The original training SAPUSS action was extensively expanded due a large number of collaborators willing to take part (45 scientists from 15 international institutions, coordinated by the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC from Barcelona), resulting from the excellent network of collaborations of both the scientist in charge and the researcher in training. The unique approach was the large variety of instrumentation deployed simultaneously in six monitoring sites in Barcelona (NE Spain) and around the city, including: a main road traffic site, two urban background sites, a regional background site and two tower sites (150m and 545m above sea level, respectively). SAPUSS allowed us to interpret the variability of aerosols levels and composition in an Urban Mediterranean, an environment not well characterized so far. During SAPUSS different air mass scenarios were encountered, including warm Saharan, cold Atlantic, wet European and stagnant Regional ones and presenting different local meteorology and boundary layer conditions. High levels of traffic-related gaseous pollutants were measured at the urban ground level monitoring sites, whereas layers of tropospheric ozone were recorded at tower levels. Particularly, tower level night time average ozone concentrations (80±25 μg m-3) were up to double than ground level ones. Particle number concentrations (N>5: 9980±6500 cm-1, average of all measurements) were generally traffic dependent, although a contribution from two different types of nucleation events was also found. Analysis of the particulate matter mass concentrations showed an enhancement of coarse particles (PM2.5-10) at the urban ground level (+64%, average 11.7 μg m-3) but of fine ones (PM1) at urban tower level (+28%, average 14.4 μg m-3). The exceptional amount of high quality scientific data generated within the SAPUSS project will be analyzed and modeled by an on going PhD fellowship (2011-2014) obtained on purpose by the Spanish Government. More information on the SAPUSS measurements and their analysis can be found in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physic special issue (SAPUSS ACP Special Issue, European Geosciences Union). In summary, the on-line and off-line data generated from SAPUSS are for the first time the input of the receptor-oriented models, which will help to re-construct the impacts of emissions from different sources of atmospheric pollutants. Overall, a relatively small scale Marie Curie fellowship grant generated the biggest air quality project carried out in the Mediterranean area during the period 2009-2012. The outcome of the SAPUSS project is exceptionally better than initially invigilated, and its outcome is reflected in an ACP special issue, one of the best journals in the field of atmospheric chemistry and physic. As regards of the socio-economic impacts of the project, the Marie Curie Action SAPUSS was able to clearly show very different atmospheric chemistry and physics behaviors of the urban Mediterranean environment relative to the more characterized Northern European one. This will help testing and developing air quality mitigation measures in Southern Europe.

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