A worldwide aerosol phenomenology: Elemental and organic carbon in PM2.5 and PM10

Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the inhalable (PM 10 ) and fine (PM 2.5 ) size fractions are measured worldwide, albeit with different analytical methods. These measurements from many researchers were collected and analysed for Africa, America, Asia, and Europe for 2012 - 2019. EC/PM, OC/PM, and OC/EC ratios were examined based on region, site type, and season to infer potential sources and impacts. These analyses demonstrate that carbonaceous materials are important PM constituents throughout the world. Mean EC/PM ratios were lowest in PM 10 in Sahelian Africa and Europe (∼ 0.01), highest (> 0.07) in PM 2.5 at urban sites in North America, South America, and Japan. Mean OC/PM ratios were lowest in PM 10 in the Sahel (∼ 0.06) and in PM 2.5 in China and Thailand (0.10), and highest in central and eastern Europe (∼ 0.3) and North America (∼ 0.4). OC/EC ratios were elevated in western and northern Europe, and at regional background sites in North America. EC/PM increased with PM 10 in Thailand, while OC/PM increased with higher PM mass in Thailand, India, and North America, highlighting the specific contribution of carbonaceous aerosols to PM pollution in these regions. At European and North American background sites, OC/EC ratios increased with PM mass. Higher OC/EC ratios in dry periods indicate influence of wildfires, prescribed burns, and secondary aerosol formation. Elevated wintertime EC/PM ratios coincide with residential heating in temperate climate zones. • The carbon content of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) worldwide is assessed. • Data from hundreds of sites in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe are compared. • Organic carbon / PM ratios are highest in North America. • Elemental carbon / PM ratios are highest at urban sites. • Organic carbon / Elemental carbon ratios are highest in North America and Europe.

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Publication Details

Journal
Atmospheric Environment
Published
2025-06-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121338
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.60

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article

A worldwide aerosol phenomenology: Elemental and organic carbon in PM2.5 and PM10

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2 citations
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A worldwide aerosol phenomenology: Elemental and organic carbon in PM2.5 and PM10

Monica Angelucci, Gyanesh Kumar Singh, Baerbel Sinha, Harish Chandra Phuleria, Hartmut Herrmann, Chrysanthos Savvides, Akila Muthalagu, Wenche Aas, Joanna Kozakiewicz, O. L. Mayol‐Bracero, Patricia K. Quinn, Sébastien Conil, F. Cavalli, Khaiwal Ravindra, Christoph Hueglin, Isabel Moreno, Ankur Bhardwaj, Pieter G. van Zyl, Laurent Poulain, Béatrice Marticorena, Radovan Krejčí, John G. Watson, U.C. Dumka, Jitender Singh Laura, Pooja Chaudhary, Andrés Alástuey, Angeliki Karanasiou, Tarun Gupta, Julian Rüdiger, Fumikazu Ikemori, Karl Espen Yttri, Jean Philippe Putaud, Tanveer Ahmad Najar, Lian Yang, Taveen Singh Kapoor, Atsushi Matsuki, Chandra Venkataraman, Diksha Haswani, L. K. Prasad, Céline Voiron, Min Hu, Adnan Mateen Qadri, Tanbir Singh, Ronald Spoor, Irena Kranjc, Pooja Manwani, Gaëlle Uzu, Anna Degórska, Arshid Jehangir, Sandeep Devaliya, G. Pandithurai, Sayantee Roy, Junwen Liu, Jean‐Luc Jaffrezo, Sauryadeep Mukherjee, Judith C. Chow, Noemí Pérez, R. Naresh Kumar, Abisheg Dhandapani, Worradorn Phairuang, Paolo Laj, Asif Qureshi, Ramya Sunder Raman, Valeria Mardóñez, Anil Kumar Chhangani, Marcos Andrade, Johan P. Beukes, Stéphane Sauvage, Marco Vecchiocattivi, Sandeep Singh Duhan, Delwin Pullokaran, Adéla Holubová Šmejkalová, Abhijit Chatterjee, Omar Ramírez, Xin Jin, Binoy K. Saikia, Kajal Yadav, Sang‐Woo Kim, Jeong-Eun Kim, Prasenjit Saikia, Renuka Sharma, Atul Kumar Srivastava, Anurag Gupta, Mohd Imran, Gazala Habib, Suman Mor, Sadashiva Murthy BM, Zahra Hamzavi, Tanja Kolesa
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the inhalable (PM 10 ) and fine (PM 2.5 ) size fractions are measured worldwide, albeit with different analytical methods. These measurements from many researchers were collected and analysed for Africa, America, Asia, and Europe for 2012 - 2019. EC/PM, OC/PM, and OC/EC ratios were examined based on region, site type, and season to infer potential sources and impacts. These analyses demonstrate that carbonaceous materials are important PM constituents throughout the world. Mean EC/PM ratios were lowest in PM 10 in Sahelian Africa and Europe (∼ 0.01), highest (> 0.07) in PM 2.5 at urban sites in North America, South America, and Japan. Mean OC/PM ratios were lowest in PM 10 in the Sahel (∼ 0.06) and in PM 2.5 in China and Thailand (0.10), and highest in central and eastern Europe (∼ 0.3) and North America (∼ 0.4). OC/EC ratios were elevated in western and northern Europe, and at regional background sites in North America. EC/PM increased with PM 10 in Thailand, while OC/PM increased with higher PM mass in Thailand, India, and North America, highlighting the specific contribution of carbonaceous aerosols to PM pollution in these regions. At European and North American background sites, OC/EC ratios increased with PM mass. Higher OC/EC ratios in dry periods indicate influence of wildfires, prescribed burns, and secondary aerosol formation. Elevated wintertime EC/PM ratios coincide with residential heating in temperate climate zones. • The carbon content of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) worldwide is assessed. • Data from hundreds of sites in Africa, Asia, America, and Europe are compared. • Organic carbon / PM ratios are highest in North America. • Elemental carbon / PM ratios are highest at urban sites. • Organic carbon / Elemental carbon ratios are highest in North America and Europe.

Atmospheric EnvironmentVol. 358
Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (BO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), World Meteorological Organization (CH), Seoul National University (KR), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IN), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali (IN), Brookhaven National Laboratory (US), Peking University (CN), NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (US), Kjeller Innovasjon (Norway) (NO), Joint Research Centre (IT), Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (FR), State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN), Nagoya Industrial Science Research Institute (JP), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (ES), Bolin Centre for Climate Research (SE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Nagasaki University (JP), Desert Research Institute (US), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR), Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IN)
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Ministry of Environment, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Bundesamt für Umwelt, Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
2.60
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