Analysis of source regions and transport pathways of sub-micron aerosol components in Europe

It is important to study aerosols and their origins, as they pose various negative health and environmental impacts. In this study, we combined year-long datasets from 15 different countries with Trajectory Statistical Methods (TSMs) for the first time at this comprehensive scale. We found possible source regions and seasonal variations of various particulate matter (PM) components in Europe, including total organic aerosol (OA), biomass burning OA (BBOA), oxygenated OA (OOA), ammonium (NH4), nitrate (NO3), and sulphate (SO4). We found that for all of the studied components, Eastern Europe was among the highest contributors. For NO3, other important source regions were Northern France and the Benelux, while for SO4 there were significant contributions from the Mediterranean region. We also compared our measurement-based model with simulated concentrations of an atmospheric chemistry transport model (CAMx). We observed a satisfactory agreement in regions where we had sufficient coverage with air pollution monitoring stations. The main deviations for OA were found around the Po Valley, where CAMx consistently estimated higher concentrations, while the TSM analysis did not highlight it as a hotspot because long-term monitoring datasets in this region are lacking. CAMx also underestimated the concentrations around Poland, mainly from residential burning. Our results provide opportunities to refine European emission inventories and deliver valuable information on long-range transported air pollutants. This work suggests that policies mitigating air pollution in Eastern Europe and the Benelux could help improve overall air quality in entire Europe more efficiently.

SCHENEIDER Michelle;  JIANG Jianhui;  CHEN Ying;  AAS Wenche;  ATABAKHSH Samira;  AURELA M;  BELIS Claudio;  BOUGIATIOTI Aikaterini;  BRESSI Michael;  CANONACO Francesco;  CHAZEAU Benjamin;  CHEBAICHEB Hasna;  EHN Mikael;  ELEFTHERIADIS K.;  FAVEZ Olivier;  FLENTJE Harald;  FONT Anna;  FRENEY Evelyn;  GILARDONI S.;  GINI Maria I.;  GREEN David C.;  HEIKKINEN Liine;  KEERNIK Hannes;  LHOTKA Radek;  LIN Chunshui;  MAASIKMETS Marek;  MARCHAND Nicolas;  MINGUILLÓN M. C.;  NECKI Jaroslaw;  OVADNEVAITE Jurgita;  PAGLIONE Marco;  PAURAITE Julija;  PETIT Jean-Eudes;  PIKRIDAS Michail;  PLATT Stephen;  POKORNA Petra;  POLUZZI Vanes;  POULAIN Laurent;  RIFFAULT V.;  RINALDI Matteo;  SCIARE J;  SOSEDOVA Yulia;  STAVROULAS Iasonas;  TIMONEN Hilkka;  TOBLER Anna;  VASILESCU Jeni;  VIA Marta;  VODIČKA Petr;  ZHANG Yunjiang;  ZOGRAFOU Olga;  DALLENBACH K.R.;  UPADHYAY Abhishek;  CHEN Gang I.;  MANOUSAKAS Manousos-Ioannis;  EL HADDAD Imad;  PREVOT Andre S. H.; 

2025-10-13

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

JRC138849

1873-6424 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749125014848,    https://jpr-fe-repository-main-jpr.apps.ocp.jrc.ec.europa.eu /repository/handle/JRC138849,   

10.1016/j.envpol.2025.127110 (online),