Atmospheric Aerosol Pollution

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 333

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unity of Geochemistry and Chemical Pollution, Division of Earth and Environment Sciences, National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology (CNESTEN), BP 1382, Rabat 10001, Morocco
Interests: air pollution; air quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology (CNESTEN), BP 1382, Rabat 10001, Morocco
Interests: environmental monitoring; air pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atmospheric aerosols represent a significant challenge to both environmental health and climate stability. These minute solid or liquid particles suspended in the air are ubiquitous in our atmosphere. While some aerosols originate from natural sources, a significant portion arises from human activities, interacting with the environment in complex ways. Furthermore, atmospheric aerosols undergo dynamic processes in the atmosphere, including transport, transformation, and deposition. The movement of air masses and the chemical reactions that occur within these aerosols can alter their size, composition, and lifespan. As such, it is crucial to track their fate from emission sources to final deposition. A comprehensive understanding of these processes is key to predicting the impact of aerosols on local, regional, and global air quality, as well as their role in climate systems, where they contribute to radiative forcing and cloud formation.

This Special Issue will focus on the complex realm of atmospheric aerosol pollution, emphasizing the urgent need to characterize and understand the behavior and fate of these particles. It aims to identify the factors influencing aerosol trends and composition and their ultimate effects on environmental and public health. By featuring new studies on atmospheric aerosols, this Special Issue will provide a comprehensive and timely overview of the current state of knowledge on atmospheric aerosol pollution. It will offer valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of aerosols, their impacts on various aspects of the environment and human well-being, and potential strategies for mitigating their adverse effects. We invite submissions of research papers, critical reviews, and case studies that contribute to this vital topic.

Dr. Abdelfettah Benchrif
Dr. Mounia Tahri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • atmospheric aerosols
  • aerosol pollution
  • air quality
  • transport and fate
  • atmospheric modeling
  • source apportionment
  • climate impact
  • public health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

28 pages, 5927 KiB  
Article
Aerosols in Northern Morocco (Part 4): Seasonal Chemical Signatures of PM2.5 and PM10
by Abdelfettah Benchrif, Mounia Tahri, Otmane Khalfaoui, Bouamar Baghdad, Moussa Bounakhla and Hélène Cachier
Atmosphere 2025, 16(8), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080982 - 18 Aug 2025
Viewed by 121
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosols are recognized as a major air pollutant with significant impacts on human health, air quality, and climate. Yet, the chemical composition and seasonal variability of aerosols remain underexplored in several Western Mediterranean regions. This study presents a year-long investigation of PM [...] Read more.
Atmospheric aerosols are recognized as a major air pollutant with significant impacts on human health, air quality, and climate. Yet, the chemical composition and seasonal variability of aerosols remain underexplored in several Western Mediterranean regions. This study presents a year-long investigation of PM2.5 and PM10 in Tetouan, Northern Morocco, where both local emissions and regional transport influence air quality. PM2.5 and PM10 samples were collected and analysed for total mass and comprehensive chemical characterization, including organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble ions (WSIs), and sugar tracers (levoglucosan, arabitol, and glucose). Concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT) modelling and air mass back-trajectory analyses were used to assess potential source regions and transport pathways. PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 4.2 to 41.8 µg m−3 (annual mean: 18.0 ± 6.4 µg m−3), while PM10 ranged from 11.9 to 66.3 µg m−3 (annual mean: 30.8 ± 9.7 µg m−3), with peaks in winter and minima in spring. The PM2.5-to-PM10 ratio averaged 0.59, indicating a substantial accumulation of particle mass within the fine fraction, especially during the cold season. Carbonaceous aerosols dominated the fine fraction, with total carbonaceous aerosol (TCA) contributing ~52% to PM2.5 and ~34% to PM10. Secondary organic carbon (SOC) accounted for up to 90% of OC in PM2.5, reaching 7.3 ± 3.4 µg m−3 in winter. WSIs comprised ~39% of PM2.5 mass, with sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium as major components, peaking in summer. Sugar tracers exhibited coarse-mode dominance, reflecting biomass burning and biogenic activity. Concentration-weighted trajectory and back-trajectory analyses identified the Mediterranean Basin and Iberian Peninsula as dominant source regions, in addition to local urban emissions. Overall, this study attempts to fill a critical knowledge gap in Southwestern Mediterranean aerosol research by providing a comprehensive characterization of PM2.5 and PM10 chemical composition and their seasonal dynamics in Tetouan. It further offers new insights into how a combination of local emissions and regional transport shapes the aerosol composition in this North African urban environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atmospheric Aerosol Pollution)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop