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We present results from a systematic study of vertical profiles of aerosol number size distribution and black carbon (BC) concentrations conducted in the Arctic, over Ny-Ålesund (Svalbard). The campaign lasted 2 years (2011-2012) and resulted in 200 vertical profiles measured by means of a tethered balloon (up to 1200 m a.g.l.) during the spring and summer seasons. In addition, chemical analysis of filter samples, aerosol size distribution and a full set of meteorological parameters were determined at ground. The collected experimental data allowed a classification of the vertical profiles into different typologies, which allowed us to describe the seasonal phenomenology of vertical aerosol properties in the Arctic. During spring, four main types of profiles were found and their behavior was related to the main aerosol and atmospheric dynamics occurring at the measuring site. Background conditions generated homogenous profiles. Transport events caused an increase of aerosol concentration with altitude. High Arctic haze pollution trapped below thermal inversions promoted a decrease of aerosol concentration with altitude. Finally, ground-based plumes of locally formed secondary aerosol determined profiles with decreasing aerosol concentration located at different altitude as a function of size. During the summer season, the impact from shipping caused aerosol and BC pollution plumes to be constrained close to the ground, indicating that increasing shipping emissions in the Arctic could bring anthropogenic aerosol and BC in the Arctic summer, affecting the climate.

Il traffico veicolare è considerato una delle principali fonti di inquinamento atmosferico nelle aree urbane, tanto da indurre le autorità competenti a disporre blocchi del traffico. La città di Milano, a partire da gennaio 2012, ha istituito AREA C, un sistema di accesso a pagamento alla zona centrale della città per limitare il numero dei veicoli circolanti nell’area centrale della città e migliorarne la vivibilità. Scopo di questo studio è valutare quale effetto ha avuto l’introduzione della zona a traffico limitato (ZTL) su Idrocarburi Policiclici Aromatici (IPA), Elemental Carbon (EC), alcani lineari ed i principali ioni presenti nel PTS di Milano in e fuori Area C. Il particolato totale sospeso (PTS) utilizzato per questa ricerca è stato campionato in due siti rappresentativi dell’atmosfera urbana milanese, uno interno ad area C (via San Vittore, SV) e uno esterno ad essa (Torre Breda, Università degli studi di Milano-Bicocca, TB ), non si evidenziano differenze nelle concentrazioni. L’EC è utilizzato come marker primario della sorgente traffico. I risultati ottenuti mostrano una netta riduzione dell’EC in ZTL del 36%. Le concentrazioni di IPA nel periodo autunnale sono in media 2,56 ng/m3. I risultati mostrano che esiste una buona correlazione (R2= 0,86) per quanto riguarda la concentrazione degli IPA nei due siti TB e SV, con una diminuzione passando dal sito esterno alla ZTL a quello interno (riduzione media del 25%). Nei due siti, il modello di distribuzione degli IPA è lo stesso. Sono stati monitorati anche gli ossi-IPA, in particolare l’1,9-benz-10-antrone ed il Benzo(a)antracene-7,12- dione. Anche in questo caso si nota una diminuzione delle concentrazioni nel sito SV, all’interno della ZTL, del 19%. Gli alcani lineari sono presenti in concentrazioni che vanno da un minimo di 20 ng/m3 ad un massimo di 70 ng/m3 (somma da C20 a C32). I più abbondanti risultano gli alcani dispari, in particolare il C29, con un’abbondanza pari al 15% rispetto al

Atmospheric aerosols deliquescence and crystallization relative humidity (DRH and CRH) are rarely measured compared to the worldwide number of hygroscopicity measurements; this feature comes from the lack of an efficient method able to capture the whole complexity of chemical composition of aerosols. Despite this, the knowledge of both DRH and CRH are crucial for a correct parameterization of the aerosol hygroscopic growth used in different applications, among which the remote sensing is very important. In this paper, a newly developed technique (direct current conductance method) was applied in an aerosol chamber to Milan PM2.5 samples, to identify aerosol DRH and CRH both during winter and summer. These results were compared with those independently obtained by gravimetric measurements conducted in the chamber using a microbalance. Microbalance data allowed also the determination of the mass hygroscopic growth factor on the collected PM2.5 samples.Results evidenced first a good agreement between the two methods (RMSE = 2.7% and 2.3% for DRH and CRH, respectively). Collected data evidenced the hysteresis behavior of ambient particles and variability in both DRH and CRH between the two seasons. Summer samples showed higher DRH and CRH (on average 71.4 ± 1.0% RH and 62.6 ± 1.2% RH, respectively) than the winter ones (on average 55.2 ± 0.7% RH and 46.9 ± 0.6% RH). This behavior was related to the higher content of sulfates during the summer season. Conversely, the mass hygroscopic growth factor at 90% RH was higher for winter samples (2.76 ± 0.06) with respect to the summer ones (1.91 ± 0.11).Since hysteresis behavior affects optical properties of aerosols, when RH conditions are within the loop, the hygroscopic growth factor could be assigned in a wrong way. Thus, the growth factor was calculated within the hysteresis loop for both upper and lower branches: results showed that difference in hygroscopic growth factor could reach up the 24%.

Recent epidemiological evidence support the hypothesis that health effects from inhalation of air particles are governed by more than just particle mass, since specific chemical components have been identified as important contributors to mortality and hospitality admissions.We studied the chemical composition and the oxidative potential (OP) of total suspended particle (TSP) samples from Milan at two sites with different traffic loads: a site in the low emission zone (LEZ) and a traffic site (TR) outside. Two a-cellular assays; dithiothreitol (OPDTT) and 2',7' dichlorofluorescin (OPDCFH) were used to characterize the OP of the soluble fraction of particles.TSP samples from LEZ showed significantly lower concentrations of traffic-related chemical components compared to TR. The decrease in the concentrations from TR to LEZ was maximum for EC, with a LEZ/TR ratio of 0.64 (±0.18), and a significant reduction (p < 0.01) was also observed for PAHs (LEZ/TR = 0.73 ± 0.16), elements (Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb: LEZ/TR ranged between 0.64 and 0.82), OC (LEZ/TR = 0.85 ± 0.12) and NH4+ (LEZ/TR = 0.92 ± 0.07).OP measures, expressed as OP/m3 or OP/mg, were comparable between sites both for OPDTT and OPDCFH, thus not showing any significant impact of local traffic on OP values at sites. OPDTT and OPDCFH showed contrasting seasonal and daily trends, indicating that the two a-cellular assays gave complementary information on the OP of particles in Milan. The two OP assays resulted to be sensitive to different chemical properties of PM samples. OPDTT correlated positively only with Global Radiation (Spearman's rs = 0.38, p < 0.05), which could be considered as a proxy for high concentrations of secondary oxidizing organics, while OPDCFH was related to various PM chemical species, mainly correlated with total mass (rs = 0.65; p < 0.01), elements (e.g. Zn, rs = 0.67; As, rs = 0.65; p < 0.01) and the sum of sulfate and nitrate (rs = 0.63; p < 0.01), a proxy for secondary aerosol

Climate and pollution can lead to materials weathering. In this study, an innovative method is employed to evaluate the hazard for heritage stone substrates induced by the synergic effect of particulate matter (PM) and climate. In this respect, two hazard indicators for stone materials were determined: the time of wetness and the number of dissolution and crystallization cycles. The two indicators were computed by coupling experimental measurements of the PM deliquescence and crystallization relative humidity with climatic data. For the first time, these indicators were estimated based on the PM hygroscopic properties, considering its whole hysteresis loop and its consequent hydration level. The proposed method was applied to PM samples collected in the polluted Po Valley (Milan): the experimental measurements of both PM deliquescence and crystallization relative humidity were performed in an environmental-controlled chamber using an electrical conductivity method. The time of wetness and the number of dissolution and crystallization cycles were then calculated by coupling the PM deliquescence and crystallization relative humidity with climatic data of Milan over the last decade (2003–2013). Results point out that, depending on the seasons, different hazards were identified. In winter, high time of wetness (89 ± 11%) and low number of cycles (3 ± 3 cycles/month) were found. Conversely, summer was characterized by low time of wetness (20 ± 13%) and high number of cycles (11 ± 5 cycles/month). Interestingly, spring and fall resulted the most dangerous seasons for outdoor-exposed stones, since they presented both high time of wetness and number of cycles. Since the two indicators are calculated considering PM properties and climatic data, their values are site-specific, while the method used for their determination is of general application and it can be used for an efficient hazard assessment in a heritage climatology perspective.

Size-segregated particle samples were collected in the Arctic (Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) in April 2011 both at ground level and in the free atmosphere exploiting a tethered balloon equipped also with an optical particle counter (OPC) and meteorological sensors. Individual particle properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive microanalysis (SEM-EDS). Results of the SEM-EDS were integrated with particle size and optical measurements of the aerosols properties at ground level and along the vertical profiles. Detailed analysis of two case studies reveals significant differences in composition despite the similar structure (layering) and the comparable texture (grain size distribution) of particles in the air column. Differences in the mineral chemistry of samples point at both local (plutonic/metamorphic complexes in Svalbard) and remote (basic/ultrabasic magmatic complexes in Greenland and/or Iceland) geological source regions for dust. Differences in the particle size and shape are put into relationship with the mechanism of particle formation, that is, primary (well sorted, small) or secondary (idiomorphic, fine to coarse grained) origin for chloride and sulfate crystals and transport/settling for soil (silicate, carbonate and metal oxide) particles. The influence of size, shape, and mixing state of particles on ice nucleation and radiative properties is also discussed.

This study examines an innovative application of the aerosol deliquescence and crystallization determination, for corrosion prevention and energy-saving strategies in free-cooled data centers. Aerosol deliquescence and crystallization were investigated by combining standardized aerosol sampling techniques (i.e. EN-14907) with the assessment of the electrical effects of aerosol, while varying relative humidity within a specially designed aerosol exposure chamber. Aerosol samples collected in the Po Valley (Northern Italy) were analysed; a clearly defined hysteresis cycle (deliquescence and crystallization at 60.5 ± 0.8 and 47.9 ± 0.7 % of RH, respectively) was found. Results were applied to a data center designed for the Italian National Oil and Gas Company, making it possible to identify a critical area for direct free cooling at this data center. As a result, aerosol hydration was avoided (thus preventing aerosol from damaging electrical components) and a large amount of energy saved (using free cooling instead of air-conditioning); the potential energy saving achieved in this way was 79 % (compared to the energy consumption of a traditional air-conditioning system): 215 GWh of energy was saved, and 78 fewer kt of equivalent CO2 was emitted per year. Moreover, in order to evaluate whether a real-time estimation of the aerosol hydration state within a data center could be performed, measured deliquescence and crystallization were compared through simulations performed using three different models: two thermodynamic models for deliquescence and a parametric model for crystallization. The results obtained tend to converge in terms of deliquescence, whereas in the case of crystallization, they failed to effectively simulate experimental aerosol behaviour.