Local and regional contributions to the atmospheric aerosol over Tel Aviv, Israel: a case study using elemental, ionic and organic tracers

Changes in aerosol composition associated with a cold front passage were examined during a field experiment in Tel Aviv, Israel (2-15 Dec, 2000). In addition to monitoring aerosol scattering and optical thickness, aerosol samples were collected for detailed chemical analyses. Data were compared to simultaneous measurements made at Sde Boker, a semi-remote site in the Negev Desert, to help determine what changes were due to local pollution as opposed to regional phenomena. During the pre-frontal period (2-7 Dec) both sites were influenced by air masses containing a relatively high content of sulphate and dust, originating from neighbouring regions of the Middle East. A steady build-up of local pollution was then observed in Tel Aviv due to vehicular emissions/industrial activities, as indicated by increasing concentrations of black carbon, organic carbon, V, Cu, Ni, Zn, Br, Pb, NO3- and PAHs. Identification of a number of organic biomass burning tracers (e.g., levoglucosan) indicates that smoke also contributed to the pollution build-up in Tel Aviv, while a range of sugars/sugar alcohols point to a microbial/bioaerosol component. Locally emitted pollutants tended to exhibit higher nighttime concentrations due to trapping of pollution under a nocturnal inversion. Fine aerosol iodine was the only element exhibiting higher daytime concentrations, hinting at a photochemical source. Post-frontal measurements (12-15 Dec) revealed a significant decrease in all pollutants due to dispersal of the haze by the cold front 66 (8-9 Dec), with the air initially being dominated by marine aerosol. Concentrations of pollutants then began to increase, with backward trajectories indicating a possible contribution from Eastern Europe. Overall, the study identified a range of useful tracers for monitoring the contribution of different sources to the aerosol over Israel. Crown Copyright (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.