Temporal variability and sources of VOCs in urban areas of the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

During the summer of 2012 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were monitored by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) in urban sites, in Athens and Patras, two of the largest cities in Greece. Also, during the winter of 2013, PTR-MS measurements were conducted in the center of the city of Athens. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied to the VOC measurements to gain insights about their sources. In summer most of the measured VOCs were due to biogenic and traffic emissions. Isoprene, monoterpenes, and several oxygenated VOCs (oVOCs) originated mainly from vegetation either directly or as oxidation products. Isoprene average concentrations in Patras and Athens were 1 and 0.7ppb respectively, while the monoterpene concentrations were 0.3 and 0.9ppb respectively. Traffic was the main source of aromatic compounds during summer. For Patras and Athens the average concentrations of benzene were 0.1 and 0.2ppb, of toluene 0.3 and 0.8ppb, and of the xylenes 0.3 and 0.7ppb respectively. Winter measurements in Athens revealed that biomass burning used for residential heating was a major VOC source contributing both aromatic VOCs and biogenic compounds such as monoterpenes. Several episodes related to biomass burning were identified and emission ratios (ERs) and emission factors (EFs) were estimated.