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Kontul I, Cherkinsky A, Ješkovský M, Kaizer J, Povinec PP, Sučák K, Zeman J. Contributions of fossil and non-fossil fractions to total carbon in urban aerosols in Bratislava (Slovakia). JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2024; 278:107512. [PMID: 39116622 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Radiocarbon measurements of total carbon (TC) fraction of aerosol samples collected at the campus of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Slovakia) during 2022-2023 were carried out. Based on radiocarbon activity of these samples and a source apportionment model we have determined the relative proportion of fossil and non-fossil carbon in collected atmospheric aerosols. The carbon from non-fossil sources (biomass burning and biogenic emissions) was dominant in this time period, on average it formed 72% of carbon present in the aerosols from the atmosphere of Bratislava. The whole range of determined non-fossil fraction was relatively small as it varied only from 0.67 (August-September) to 0.82 (December-January). These changes do not exhibit any significant seasonal variation as was previously observed in Bratislava during 2017-2018 in the elemental carbon (EC) aerosol fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Kontul
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Alexander Cherkinsky
- Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, 30602, Georgia, USA
| | - Miroslav Ješkovský
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jakub Kaizer
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Pavel P Povinec
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Karol Sučák
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jakub Zeman
- Centre for Nuclear and Accelerator Technologies (CENTA), Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, 842 48, Bratislava, Slovakia
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2
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Zhang Y, Cao F, Song W, Jia XF, Xie T, Wu CL, Yan P, Yu M, Rauber M, Salazar G, Szidat S, Zhang Y. Fossil and Nonfossil Sources of Winter Organic Aerosols in the Regional Background Atmosphere of China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:1244-1254. [PMID: 38178789 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Carbonaceous aerosols (CA) from anthropogenic emissions have been significantly reduced in urban China in recent years. However, the relative contributions of fossil and nonfossil sources to CA in rural and background regions of China remain unclear. In this study, the sources of different carbonaceous fractions in fine aerosols (PM2.5) from five background sites of the China Meteorological Administration Atmosphere Watch Network during the winter of 2019 and 2020 were quantified using radiocarbon (14C) and organic markers. The results showed that nonfossil sources contributed 44-69% to total carbon at these five background sites. Fossil fuel combustion was the predominant source of elemental carbon at all sites (73 ± 12%). Nonfossil sources dominated organic carbon (OC) in these background regions (61 ± 13%), with biomass burning or biogenic-derived secondary organic carbon (SOC) as the most important contributors. However, the relative fossil fuel source to OC in China (39 ± 13%) still exceeds those at other regional/background sites in Asia, Europe, and the USA. SOC dominated the fossil fuel-derived OC, highlighting the impact of regional transport from anthropogenic sources on background aerosol levels. It is therefore imperative to develop and implement aerosol reduction policies and technologies tailored to both the anthropogenic and biogenic emissions to mitigate the environmental and health risks of aerosol pollution across China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxian Zhang
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Fujian Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Fuzhou 350028, China
| | - Fang Cao
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Wenhuai Song
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Xiao-Fang Jia
- Meteorological Observation Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Tian Xie
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Chang-Liu Wu
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Peng Yan
- Meteorological Observation Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Mingyuan Yu
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Martin Rauber
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Gary Salazar
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Sönke Szidat
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
- Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Yanlin Zhang
- School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
- Atmospheric Environment Center, Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation on Climate and Environmental Change, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
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3
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Povinec PP, Papadopoulos VP, Krokos G, Abualnaja Y, Pavlidou A, Kontuľ I, Kaizer J, Cherkinsky A, Molnár A, Molnár M, Palcsu L, Al Ghamdi AS, Anber HA, Al Othman AS, Hoteit I. Tritium and radiocarbon in the water column of the Red Sea. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2023; 256:107051. [PMID: 36327526 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Despite being the busiest transient sea in the world due to the Suez Canal, radionuclide distribution studies in seawater and sediment of the Red Sea remain rare. A sampling expedition in the Red Sea was conducted from June 9 to July 6, 2021, visiting a transect of several deep sampling stations located along the central axis of the basin from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern Red Sea (near Farasan Island, Saudi Arabia). The collected seawater profile samples were analyzed for tritium, radiocarbon and oxygen-18. The observed tritium levels in surface waters of the Red Sea peaked at 0.3-0.4 TU, similar to the values observed in the western Arabian Sea (decay corrected). The values observed at waters below 150 m were around 0.2 TU, however, at depths of 450 and 750 m, tritium minima (<0.2 TU) were observed, which could be associated with a partial return flow of bottom waters from the southern to the northern Red Sea. At two stations at the depth of about 550 m, deep Δ14C minima were observed as well (-4‰ and -10‰), documenting ongoing transport of carbon in the water column, important for sink of anthropogenic carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- P P Povinec
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, 84248, Slovakia.
| | - V P Papadopoulos
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, 19013, Greece
| | - G Krokos
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, 19013, Greece; Earth Sciences and Engineering Department, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Y Abualnaja
- Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - A Pavlidou
- Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Anavyssos, 19013, Greece
| | - I Kontuľ
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, 84248, Slovakia
| | - J Kaizer
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Bratislava, 84248, Slovakia
| | - A Cherkinsky
- Center for Applied Isotope Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-4702, USA
| | - A Molnár
- Isotoptech Zrt., H-4026, Debrecen, Hungary; University of Debrecen, Doctoral School of Physics, H-4026, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - M Molnár
- University of Debrecen, Doctoral School of Physics, H-4026, Debrecen, Hungary; INTERACT Centre, Institute for Nuclear Research, H-4026, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - L Palcsu
- Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - A S Al Ghamdi
- National Center for Environmental Compliance, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - H A Anber
- National Center for Environmental Compliance, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - A S Al Othman
- National Center for Environmental Compliance, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - I Hoteit
- Earth Sciences and Engineering Department, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
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Ren P, Luo C, Zhang H, Schiebel H, Hastings MG, Wang X. Atmospheric Particles Are Major Sources of Aged Anthropogenic Organic Carbon in Marginal Seas. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14198-14207. [PMID: 36125427 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Deposition of atmospheric particulates is a major pathway for transporting materials from land to the ocean, with important implications for climate and nutrient cycling in the ocean. Here, we report the results of year-round measurements of particulate organic carbon (POC) and black carbon (BC) in atmospheric aerosols collected on Tuoji Island in the coastal Bohai-Yellow Sea of China (2019-2020) and during a cruise in the western North Pacific. Aerosol POC contents ranged from 1.9 to 11.9%; isotope values ranged from -18.8 to -29.0‰ for δ13C and -150 to -892‰ for Δ14C, corresponding to 14C ages of 1,235 to 17,780 years before present (BP). Mass balance calculations indicated that fossil carbon contributed 19-66% of the POC, with highest values in winter. BC produced from fossil fuel combustion accounted for 18-54% of the POC. "Old" BC (mean 6,238 ± 740 yr BP) was the major contributor to POC, and the old ages of aerosol POC were consistent with the 14C ages of total OC preserved in surface sediments of the Bohai-Yellow Sea and East China Sea. We conclude that atmospheric deposition is an important source of aged OC sequestered in marginal sea sediments and thus represents an important sink for carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Ren
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
- Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Chunle Luo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Hongmei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Hayley Schiebel
- Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, United States
| | - Meredith G Hastings
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences and Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Xuchen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, and Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
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Detailed Carbon Isotope Study of PM2.5 Aerosols at Urban Background, Suburban Background and Regional Background Sites in Hungary. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13050716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to estimate and refine the potential sources of carbon in the atmospheric PM2.5 fraction aerosol at three sampling sites in Hungary. Quantification of total, organic and elemental carbon (TC, OC and EC, respectively), as well as radiocarbon (14C) and stable carbon isotope analyses were performed on exposed filters collected at an urban background site, a suburban background site of the capital of Hungary, Budapest from October 2017 to July 2018. Results were also collected from the rural regional background site of K-puszta. Compared to TC concentrations from other regions of Europe, the ratio of the lowest and highest values at all sites in Hungary are lower than these European locations, probably due to the specific meteorological conditions prevailing in the Carpathian Basin over the observation period. The concentration of OC was constantly higher than that of EC and a seasonal variation with higher values in the heating period (October–March) and lower values in the non-heating vegetation period (April–September) could be observed for both EC and OC fractions. Using 14C, the seasonal mean fraction of contemporary carbon (fC) within the TC varied between 0.50 and 0.78 at the sites, suggesting that modern sources were remarkable during the year, regardless of the heating or vegetation period. At the two urban sites, assuming constant industrial emission during the year, the fossil fuel combustion sources were responsible for the seasonal variation of EC, while modern carbon emissions from biomass-burning and biogenic sources influenced the OC concentration. The higher EC/TC ratios at these sites were associated with lower fC and δ13C values, which can be explained by soot emission from transportation. The notably high EC/TC ratios in the spring were likely caused by the reduced concentration of OC instead of increased EC concentrations. This could probably be caused by the ending of winter biomass burning, which emits a huge amount of OC into the atmosphere. On the contrary, the rural K-puszta site showed some differences relative to the sites in Budapest. No correlation could be revealed between the EC/TC ratio, fC and δ13C results, suggesting that the structure of sources was very stagnant and balanced in each season. In autumn, however, some less depleted values were observed, and agricultural corn-stalk burning after harvesting in the southern and eastern directions from Hungary can be suggested as the main source.
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Varga T, Major I, Gergely V, Lencsés A, Bujtás T, Jull AJT, Veres M, Molnár M. Radiocarbon in the atmospheric gases and PM 10 aerosol around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2021; 237:106670. [PMID: 34144248 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2021.106670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Our study shows a one-year-long, monthly integrated continuous monitoring campaign of gaseous radiocarbon emission and ambient air compared with 4 event-like, weekly (168 h) atmospheric aerosol radiocarbon data in every season of 2019, at 4 locations (n = 16 aerosol sample) around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Hungary. The study shows the first aerosol radiocarbon results around a nuclear power plant measured by accelerator mass spectrometry in Hungary. There was no dominant contribution detected in the atmospheric CO2 gas fraction, but we could detect excess radiocarbon in the total gaseous carbon fraction at almost every sampling point around the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The highest Δ14C value in the total gaseous carbon form was 157.9 ± 4.6‰ in November and the highest Δ 14C value in the CO2 fraction was 86.1 ± 4.0‰ in December during 2019. Observed 14C activity excess is not higher than previously published values around the Paks Nuclear Power plant at the same sampling points (Molnár et al., 2007; Varga et al., 2020). Our aerosol radiocarbon measurements show that there is no significant contribution from the nuclear power plant to the atmospheric PM10 fraction. We could not detect a Δ 14C value higher than 0‰ in any season. The results show that the simple aerosol sampling, without pre-treatment of the filters, is appropriate for the measurement of excess radiocarbon at the vicinity of nuclear power plants. The applied preparation and measurement method can be applicable for detection of hot (14C) particles and early identification of radiocarbon emission from nuclear power plants in the PM10 fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Varga
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary; Doctoral School of Physics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary; Isotoptech Ltd, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary.
| | - István Major
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary; Isotoptech Ltd, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - Virág Gergely
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen, H-4028, Hungary
| | | | | | - A J Timothy Jull
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary; Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA; University of Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Mihály Veres
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - Mihály Molnár
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
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