Spatial and temporal PAH concentrations in Zaragoza, Spain

The concentration of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) associated with the atmospheric solid phase was measured in the Zaragoza (North-East of Spain) atmosphere using fluorescence spectroscopy in the synchronous mode (FS). The PAH results were reported for four different urban and suburban places, located within the city and during the period October 1999–September 2001. The PAH data obtained indicated the importance of local sources generated from urban/industrial areas. Although the PAH total concentration was quite similar in all the sampling sites, the main differences were due to Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and Coronene (Cor) concentrations, reaching the highest values in the sites associated with heavy traffic (trucks, lorries, etc.). The temporal evolution of atmospheric solid phase PAH concentrations indicated a seasonal trend. Higher PAH concentrations were found during colder seasons for the four sampling sites. The influence of environmental parameters such as temperature, rain, relative humidity, wind speed and direction on the PAH emissions was analyzed observing a positive correlation between the total PAH concentration and the relative humidity and a negative one with the temperature. With regard to the wind direction, higher PAH emissions were detected when wind was coming from an east and north-east direction. Wind from a north-westerly direction showed lower PAH emissions associated with the cierzo wind which provided cleaner air.