Comprehensive characterisation of atmospheric aerosols in Budapest, Hungary: physicochemical properties of inorganic species

As part of an air pollution project in Budapest. aerosol samples were colle cted by stacked filter units and cascade impactors at an urban background s ite, two downtown sites, and within a road tunnel in field campaigns conduc ted in 1996 1998 and 1999. Some criteria pollutants were also measured at o ne of the downtown sites. The aerosol samples were analysed by one or more of the following methods: instrumental neutron activation analysis, particl e-induced X-ray emission analysis, a light reflection technique, gravimetry , thermal profiling carbon analysis and capillary electrophoresis. The quan tities measured or derived include atmospheric concentrations of elements ( from Na to U), of particulate matter. of black and elemental carbon, and to tal carbonaceous fraction, of some ionic species (e.g., nitrate and sulphat e) in the fine (<2 mum equivalent aerodynamic diameter, EAD) or in both coa rse (10-2 mum EAD) and fine size fractions, atmospheric concentrations of N O, NO2, SO2, CO and total suspended particulate matter, and meteorological parameters. The analytical results were used for characterisation of the co ncentration levels, elemental composition, time trends, enrichment of and r elationships among the aerosol species in coarse and fine size fractions, f or studying their fine-to-coarse concentration ratios, spatial and temporal variability, for determining detailed elemental mass size distributions, a nd for examining the extent of chemical mass closure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.