Particulate Matter in the Mediterranean Basin: Trends and Physicochemical Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution is considered an emerging public health problem in the Mediterranean basin. More specifically, Mediterranean countries are experiencing high concentrations of ambient particulate matter (PM) which exceed the daily European and WHO standards quite a few times within the year. Specifically, the WHO has estimated that 2/3 of Mediterranean countries exceed PM and ozone standards, and that around 7 million people, including more than 400,000 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, died prematurely in 2012 because of air pollution. PM levels are influenced by locally produced and transported anthropogenic and natural origin air pollution. These include mainly traffic emissions, resuspended road dust, wildfires, dust storms from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, transported air pollution particles from Western Europe, and sea salt. The region experiences quite a few challenges in comparison to other countries such as Northern European countries that have lower pollution levels. Several countries of the region lack adequate monitoring systems, regulations, and ground measurements, such as PM_2.5 concentration levels. In addition, Mediterranean countries are highly affected by dust storms which are difficult to regulate due to their natural origin and are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in due to climate change. For this reason, it is important to understand the physicochemical properties and the transport mechanism of PM emissions to strengthen the evidence needed for policy action and contribute to preventive action in countries.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather evidence on the PM levels (PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₁₀) and the impact of sources in countries across the Mediterranean region. This information can be used to improve our understanding on the impact and trends of sources of PM, support public health studies, assess intervention strategies, and inform policymakers. We therefore invite you to submit a novel research study or a review study that investigates the PM levels, composition, and sources in the Mediterranean region.

Dr. Souzana Achilleos
Dr. Petros Mouzourides
Guest Editors

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