A study of the total amount of sulphur dioxide over major Thessaloniki area using solar ultraviolet spectrophotometric measurements

Abstract

Solar Ultraviolet spectrophotometric measurements are used to provide estimates of the total columnar sulphur dioxide concentrations over urban, semirural and industrial areas of Thessaloniki in Northern Greece. The systematic observations of the SO 2 column represent an estimate of the impact of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide on the solar radiation received at the surface of the earth. The measurements span over a period of more than ten years, giving the longest presently available record of the total columnar SO 2 in Europe. Total columnar and ground-level SO 2 measurements display an annual variation with maximum concentrations to occur in the winter period of the year. Finally, by combining the simultaneous columnar and surface SO 2 measurements, we obtain estimates of the height of the polluted layer and mean residence time for sulphur dioxide over Thessaloniki basin.

Determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in urban air of Thessaloniki, Greece

“…The most active period of the day seems to be 8-12, since at this time large amounts of NO 2 are present in ambient air. The emission of BTEX compounds will mostly follow traffic patterns (Kelessis et al, 2005) while transport and dilution are influenced by synoptic weather circulation, the superimposed local land-sea breeze circulation that often occurs in the area (Petrakakis et al, 2000), and the spatial and temporal variation of the mixing height (Kelessis and Zoumakis, 1993). All aromatic compounds decrease significantly during afternoon-time.…”