Elsevier

Atmospheric Research

Volumes 120–121, February 2013, Pages 1-28
Atmospheric Research

Research on aerosol sources and chemical composition: Past, current and emerging issues

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2012.09.021Get rights and content

Abstract

In spite of considerable progresses in recent years, a quantitative and predictive understanding of atmospheric aerosol sources, chemical composition, transformation processes and environmental effects is still rather limited, and therefore represents a major research challenge in atmospheric science. This review begins with a historical perspective on the scientific questions regarding atmospheric aerosols over the past centuries, followed by a description of the distribution, sources, transformation processes, and chemical and physical properties as they are currently understood. The major open questions and suggestions for future research priorities are outlined to narrow the gap between the present understanding of the contribution of both anthropogenic and biogenic aerosols to radiative forcing resulting from the spatial non-uniformity, intermittency of sources, unresolved composition and reactivity.

Highlights

► Historical perspective of atmospheric aerosols over the past centuries ► Survey of recent literature regarding aerosol sources and chemical composition ► Open questions and suggestions for future research priorities

Section snippets

Introduction and scope of the review

Today there is a growing interest in improving air quality by both the general public and individual governments. This interest has prompted an important increase in atmospheric pollution research, which is a complex task requiring knowledge of all the factors and processes involved: the emission of pollutants to the atmosphere by natural and/or anthropogenic sources, the transport, the chemical and physical transformations and deposition of the pollutants (dry and wet), and, finally, their

History of aerosol science

Aerosol studies have been recognised as a science from the end of World War II. Many scientists from a wide range of different research fields (meteorology, physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, etc.) have contributed to the foundation and evolution of aerosol science. Besides, we must not forget the importance of the technological progress, and the political and economic events, which have promoted this science in one way or another (Spurny, 2001).

Aerosol history is closely linked to

Main aerosol sources

Depending on their origin, aerosols may be natural or anthropogenic. The main sources of anthropogenic particulate matter in the atmosphere lie in urban and industrial areas, and we may mention here traffic (exhaust emissions, road surface abrasion, brake and tyre wear, particle resuspension from paved roadways), different industrial activities (emissions from power plants, oil refineries, mining), building (excavations, soil movement, demolitions) and emissions from housing (heating, food

Suggestions for further research

The wide range of aerosol sources and sinks, the complex and highly variable chemical composition of particulate matter, the size distributions, the complexity of formation processes and processing, the multiple impacts and the important spatial–temporal variation are all evidence of the need to continue studying atmospheric particulate matter in depth.

Much progress has been made since the beginning of aerosol science, but there are still many aspects that require further investigation. In

Concluding remarks

Aerosol science is a complex discipline requiring deep investigation for a comprehensive understanding. Several processes and interactions are involved in atmospheric aerosols, many of which are difficult to identify and/or quantify. Sources and sinks, morphology, chemical composition, size, interactions, impacts, etc., make it difficult to completely characterise aerosols. For this reason, it becomes necessary to continue studying different aspects of atmospheric aerosols in an integrated and

Acknowledgments

Ana I. Calvo and Ana M. Vicente acknowledge the posdoc and PhD grants SFRH/BPD/64810/2009 and SFRH/BD/48535/2008, respectively, from the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT). This study was partially supported by the Regional Government of Castile and León (grant LE039A10-2), and by the Spanish Ministry of Education (grant TEC2010-19241-C02-01). Part of the bibliographical compilation was done within the project “Source apportionment of urban emissions of primary particulate matter” (URBE),

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