Atmospheric Aerosol Characterization, Transport and Environmental Effects

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1153

Editors


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Instituto de Física Rosario (IFIR/CONICET-UNR) (Institute of Physics of Rosario), Argentina and Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario 2000, Argentina
Interests: atmospheric physics; aerosols and gases; air quality and land use; air pollution; wildfires; bioaerosols; collection and characterization techniques; applications; observatory

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Guest Editor
Department of Mathematics and Physics "E. De Giorgi", University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: atmospheric aerosols; bioaerosols; aerosol–climate interactions; optical and microphysical properties; instruments for aerosol detection and analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Instituto de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y Cambio Climático, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Interests: aerosols; environmental impact; properties and composition; bioaerosols; gases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Studies of atmospheric aerosols are gaining increasing attention in the scientific community due to their profound environmental impacts. A comprehensive understanding of these airborne particles—their properties and transport from sources to distant destinations—is crucial for assessing their effects on nature, life, and human activities.

This Special Issue focuses on aerosol characterization, transport mechanisms—physicochemical processes, trajectories, spatiotemporal evolution—and their associated environmental consequences. We seek to gather expertise in characterization techniques and transport modeling, advancing our knowledge of how aerosols influence the environment and anthropic activities—and vice versa—while considering diverse types, including bioaerosols.

We invite submissions on advances in aerosol characterization methods, from collection and monitoring to laboratory analysis. Contributions that integrate ground-based measurements, remote sensing, or both are especially welcome, particularly those featuring case studies that link aerosols to key impacts in applied fields. We highly encourage contributions that cover determinations of aerosol levels and types in underexplored locations or scenarios or novel insights that advance and enrich existing knowledge. Discussions of the broader implications of these findings will foster a global perspective on aerosols' roles across disciplines and the urgent need for expanded, improved monitoring. Case studies illustrating aerosols' effects on areas shaping human life and scientific progress are also encouraged.

By compiling novel results and innovative approaches, this Issue will offer valuable insights into aerosol science, highlighting its relevance in everyday life.

We warmly invite you to contribute your work to this Special Issue and look forward to collaborating in this challenging and fascinating endeavor.

Prof. Dr. María Isabel Micheletti
Dr. Salvatore Romano
Dr. Oscar A. Peralta Rosales
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • atmospheric aerosols
  • characterization techniques
  • ground-based measurements
  • remote sensing
  • laboratory analysis
  • transport
  • environmental effects
  • aerosol impact
  • case studies
  • applied fields

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 23807 KB  
Article
First Land Use and Air Quality Study in Greater Rosario, Argentina: A Ground-Satellite Assessment of PM2.5
by Greta Ailín Piñol, María Virginia Binet, María Fernanda Valle Seijo, María Isabel Micheletti, Hebe Alejandra Carreras and María Mercedes Grosso
Atmosphere 2026, 17(7), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17070638 - 28 Jun 2026
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Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is studied for the first time at ground level in different sites of Greater Rosario (GR), an urban and industrial area of central-eastern Argentina. Twelve sites were selected according to land use, and 87 samples were analyzed [...] Read more.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is studied for the first time at ground level in different sites of Greater Rosario (GR), an urban and industrial area of central-eastern Argentina. Twelve sites were selected according to land use, and 87 samples were analyzed during winter 2021 and summer 2022. The spatial and temporal distribution of PM2.5 was examined, comparing results among sites and with global data. Ground-based data were complemented with satellite-derived Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and nitrogen dioxide vertical column density (NO2 VCD). During winter, the highest PM2.5 was obtained at an industrial site in northern GR, while in summer, maximum values were observed in the center of Rosario. Summer rain events could contribute to the wet deposition of suspended particles, resulting in lower PM2.5 concentrations. Satellite data indicate higher average AOD in summer (attributable to forest fires in NE Argentina) and higher NO2 VCD in winter, coinciding with burning events in the Paraná Delta islands and reflected in some PM2.5 peaks. This analysis represents the first approach to assessing the air quality of Rosario and its surroundings, with on-site data collected in association with land use. Full article
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16 pages, 2634 KB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Quantitative Source Apportionment of Aerosols over the Yellow Sea from 2020 to 2024
by Hyomin Kim, Hee Jung Ko, Jiyoung Jeong, Hee-Jung Yoo and Sangmin Oh
Atmosphere 2026, 17(6), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17060605 - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 441
Abstract
This study examined the chemical composition and quantitative source contributions of coarse (PM10–2.5) and fine (PM2.5) particles in ship-based PM10 and PM2.5 filter samples from 2020 to 2024 across the Yellow Sea. The observations were primarily conducted [...] Read more.
This study examined the chemical composition and quantitative source contributions of coarse (PM10–2.5) and fine (PM2.5) particles in ship-based PM10 and PM2.5 filter samples from 2020 to 2024 across the Yellow Sea. The observations were primarily conducted during the spring season, when the influence of continental air masses from East Asia is pronounced, and detailed analyses of water-soluble ions and elemental species were performed. In coarse particles, sea salt components (e.g., Na+ and Cl) and soil-derived species (e.g., nss-Ca2+ and CO32−) were predominant, whereas fine particles were dominated by secondary inorganic species such as nss-SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+. Source contributions were estimated using Dispersion Normalized Positive Matrix Factorization (DN-PMF), and eight common factors were identified, including sea salt, soil, secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, oil combustion, biomass burning, marine biogenic emissions, and plant growth. Additionally, an industry factor was uniquely resolved in coarse particles, whereas a mobile source factor was identified in fine particles. In coarse particles, sea salt (30.9%) and soil (15.1%) were the major contributing sources, whereas fine particles were dominated by secondary nitrate (48.6%) and secondary sulfate (15.6%). Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) analysis indicated that the sea salt and oil combustion factors in coarse particles were associated with coastal regions of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, while the soil factor corresponded spatially with inland regions of northern China. In contrast, the secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, and biomass burning factors in fine particles showed strong associations with inland regions of eastern China. Using size-resolved DN-PMF and five years of repeated observations over the same marine region, this study provides the first quantitative source apportionment analysis of interannual atmospheric composition variability and long-range transport affecting air quality over the Yellow Sea. Full article
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