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Particle Number Size Distribution and Weight Concentration of Background Urban Aerosol in a Po Valley Site

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Abstract

Measurements of particle size distributions and PM2.5 from an urban background site in the Central Po Valley are analysed; the site is one of the medium–small-size cities in the central valley, without the direct influence of the metropolitan and industrial area of Milan and of the Adriatic Sea. The data comprise number concentration of particle with diameters ranging between 10 and 700 nm, PM2.5 and main meteorological variables from February to August 2008. Daily cycles of the observed pollutants are analysed, along with auto-correlation function for particle number concentration and principal component analysis (PCA) of all the available variables; finally, the diurnal pattern of PM2.5 low-, medium- and high-pollution events has been investigated. Total particle number concentration showed a daily pattern both in winter and summer, although different between weekdays and Sundays and with wider variations during the cold season. A daily cycle is present for the geometric mean diameter of nucleation mode particles in winter and of nucleation and Aitken mode particles in summer. PM2.5 showed a slight daily pattern for weekdays and Sundays, similar, but lagged, to total particle count cycle. Mixing layer depth resulted the main process controlling PM2.5, although also human activities contribute to PM2.5 concentration and allow some deposition and (re-)mobilisation at the first hours of the day and morning rush hour, respectively, while particle number concentration responds immediately to anthropogenic sources. PCA confirmed the dependence of particle number concentration also on meteorological variables, e.g. mixing layer height, wind speed or atmospheric pressure, showing the important influence of regional meteorology on local pollution conditions. Modena can be considered a representative test area of the effect of the meteorological regime for the Central Po Valley on atmospheric particle concentration patterns, characterised by steady high-background concentration.

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Acknowledgements

Alessandro Bigi was supported by the Italian Minister for University and Research under the project PRIN2006. Funds by Emilia-Romagna regional government under the project SIMECH are acknowledged. Authors are thankful to the ARPA-Emilia-Romagna for providing meteorological data and rural PM2.5 data, and to Dr. Carla Barbieri and Dr. Luisa Guerra (ARPA-Modena) for valuable discussions, within the Research Collaboration Agreement “Fine and ultrafine airborne particles monitoring in the Modena District”.

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  1. Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio-Emilia, via Vignolese 905/b, Modena, 41125, Italy

    Alessandro Bigi & Grazia Ghermandi

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  1. Alessandro Bigi
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  2. Grazia Ghermandi
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Correspondence to Alessandro Bigi.

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Bigi, A., Ghermandi, G. Particle Number Size Distribution and Weight Concentration of Background Urban Aerosol in a Po Valley Site. Water Air Soil Pollut 220, 265–278 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0752-6

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