Advances in Science and Research www.adv-sci-res.net 1992-0628 1992-0636 3 8th EMS Annual Meeting and 7th European Conference on Applied Climatology 2008 2009 10.5194/asr-3-1-2009 http://www.adv-sci-res.net/3/1/2009/ http://www.adv-sci-res.net/3/1/2009/asr-3-1-2009.html http://www.adv-sci-res.net/3/1/2009/asr-3-1-2009.pdf 1 4 2009-04-01 Continuous measurements of near surface aerosols in the south-western European (Portugal) region in 2006–2008 S. N. Pereira sergiopereira@uevora.pt F. Wagner A. M. Silva Évora Geophysics Centre, Évora, Portugal University of Évora Physics Departement, Évora, Portugal Scattering and absorption coefficients near the ground were measured in Évora, Portugal, in the period of 2006 to 2008. The average scattering coefficient, at the wavelength of 550 nm, for the whole period of measurements was found to be 40.3 Mm^−1 and the absorption coefficient, at the wavelength of 670 nm, 8.6 Mm^−1. These values are comparable to those measured in rural or background locations and reflect the small size of the city and relatively low magnitude of anthropogenic production at the site. A marked seasonal variation was found for the absorption coefficient, with a significant increase from 5.8 Mm^−1, in summer, to 13.4 Mm^−1, in winter. Regarding black carbon mass concentrations, this twofold increase, from 0.9 to 2.0 μgm^−3, is mainly attributed to the wood combustion used for heating in conjunction with lower boundary layer mixing heights. The average scattering coefficient presented a more complex behaviour, although with a tendency for higher values in winter and lower values in spring. Anderson, T. L. and Ogren, J. A.: Determining aerosol radiative properties using the TSI 3563 integrating Nephelometer, Aerosol Sci. Technol., 29, 57–69, 1998. Ansmann, A., Wagner, F., Muller, D., Althausen, D., Herber, A., and Wandinger, U.: European pollution outbreaks during ACE 2: Optical particle properties inferred from multi wavelength lidar and star-Sun photometry, J. Geophys. Res., 107(D15), 4259, doi:10.1029/2001JD001109, 2002. Derimian, Y., Karnieli, A., Kaufmann, Y. J., Andreae, M. O., Andreae, T. W., Dubovik, O., Maenhaut, W., Koren, I., and Holben, B. N.: Dust and pollution aerosols over the Negev desert, Israel: Properties, transport and radiative effect, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D05205, doi:10.1029/2005JD006549, 2006. Elias, T., Silva, A. M., Belo, N., Pereira, S., Formenti, P., Helas, G., and Wagner, F.: Aerosol extinction in a remote continental region of the Iberian Peninsula during summer, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D14204, doi:10.1029/2005JD006610, 2006. Gerasopoulos, E., Andreae, M. O., Zerefos, C. S., Andreae, T. W., Balis, D., Formenti, P., Merlet, P., Amiridis, V., and Papastefanou, C.: Climatological aspects of aerosol optical properties in Northern Greece, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 3, 2025–2041, 2003. Koren, I., Kaufman, Y. J., Remer, L. A., and Martins, J. V.: Measurement of the Effect of Amazon Smoke on Inhibition of Cloud Formation, Science, www.sciencemag.org, 303, 1342–1345, 2004. Lyamani, H. and Alados-Arboledas, L.: Seasonal and diurnal variations of scattering and absorption properties of aerosols in an urban area, Granada, Spain, European Aerosol Conference 2007, Salzburg, Abstract T13A200, 2007. Pereira, S. N., Wagner, F., and Silva, A. M.: Scattering properties and mass concentration of local and long-range transported aerosols over the South Western Iberian Peninsula, Atmos. Environ., 42, 7623–7631, doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.06.008, 2008. Putaud, J.-P., Van Dingenen, R., Baltensperger, U., Brüggemann, E., et al.: A European aerosol phenomenology; physical and chemical characteristics of particulate matter at kerbside, urban, rural and background sites in Europe, European Commission, Report nr EUR 20411 EN, 2003. Silva, A. M., Bugalho, M. L., Costa, M. J., von Hoyningen-Huene, W., Schmidt, T., Heintzenberg, J., and Henning, S.: Aerosol optical properties from columnar data during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment on the south coast of Portugal, J. Geophys. Res., 107(D22), 4642, doi:10.1029/2002JD002196, 2002. Silva, A. M., Costa, M. J., Wagner, F., Bortoli, D., Pereira, S., Belo, N., Bugalho, L., Alados-Arboledas, L., Lyamani, H., Guerrero-Rascado, J. L., Kindred, D., and Smith, M.: CAPEX – AEROPOR Overview: Objectives and first results, European Aerosol Conference 2007, Salzburg, Abstract T13A185, 2007. Vrekoussis, M., Liakakou, E., Koçak, M., Oikonomou, K., Sciare, J., and Mihalopoulos, N.: Seasonal variability of optical properties in the Eastern Mediterranean, Atmos. Environ., 39, 7083–7094, 2005.