Title: Towards a better characterisation of the submicron aerosol in the mediterranean basin
The PhD student Marta Via, from the EGAR group, will defend her thesis on 19th September at 10:00h in the Aula Eduard Fontserè of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Barcelona.
Title: Towards a better characterisation of the submicron aerosol in the mediterranean basin
Directors: María Cruz Minguillón and Andrés Alastuey
Thesis Committee: Stefania Gilardoni, David Green and Yolanda Sola
Abstract:
Particulate Matter (PM) affects Earth climate and human health differently according to its size and composition. Concerning health effects, PM regulation aiming to protect the population do not establish target limits for the smaller particles or for specific PM components due to the lack of sufficient monitoring of these pollutants and their impact on health. This Ph.D. thesis aims to characterise the submicronic PM composition in Barcelona during the last decade concerning its composition, potential origins and trends. With this purpose, source apportionment techniques were applied to high resolution data, focusing on the organic aerosol, an ensemble of pollutants of diverse origin. The source description of such OA and submicronic PM has enabled the understanding of formation mechanisms of such PM and its potential effects on climate and health.
