Source identification of fine and coarse aerosol during smog episodes in Debrecen, Hungary

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, the identification of PM sources during smog episodes in Debrecen is presented. The smog episodes were characterized by the high concentration of PM10, and were linked to a thermal inversion period in November 2011 in Hungary, when an anticyclone occurred across Europe. The sources of PM2.5 and PMcoarse were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF). Additionally, the source locations were explored by using the conditional probability function (CPF). A numerical weather prediction model (WRF) was also applied to evaluate the air pollution situation. In order to meet the goals of the study, the elemental composition with high (2-h) time resolution, the elemental size distribution, and the planetary boundary layer were examined in an urban background site of downtown Debrecen, Hungary. Our results highlight the importance of biomass burning (39%) and traffic (31%) as the major contributors to PM2.5. The main tracers of these sources (K, Cl, Pb, Zn) appeared mainly in droplet mode (0.5–1 μm). The major sources of PMcoarse fraction were soil (32%), and dust attributed to tramline construction (30%). The combination of PMF and CPF results revealed that the PM10 concentrations were affected by sources within the urban agglomeration of Debrecen (city centre and suburban areas) under the given meteorological conditions. This conclusion is further validated by the fact that the diurnal variation of the identified source contributions presented a distinct pattern that depended strongly on the daily activities of the city’s residents (compared to the usually unstructured diurnals of transported sources).