Our work towards achieving cleaner air

The RI-URBANS project is collecting data from several sources, covering observational data of a range of different compounds, e.g. nanoparticles and atmospheric particulate matter, their sizes, constituents, and gaseous precursors at the ground and height profiles.

WP1 (Novel air quality metrics and advanced source apportionment service tools for particulate matter and nanoparticle) compiles datasets from existing AQ sites (see D1 (D.1.1)).

According to RI-URBANS DMP, datasets were compiled from EBAS database when available. These datasets were submitted to EBAS by the data owners under other programmes like EMEP, ACTRIS and GUAN.

Further, a major compilation of datasets, from existing AQ supersites, not available at EBAS, was conducted in WP1. These data have been (or are being) submitted centrally to EBAS by RI-URBANS partners and not by the data owners unless they already have been submitted to other programmes.

All datasets compiled in WP1, including those not yet submitted to EBAS, have been made available in the RI URBANS Intranet (RI-URBANS D1 (D.1.1) DATASETS) and some in secondary data repositories as an intermediate step before finally uploading them to EBAS. These datasets may also include variables i.e., eBC mass concentration that not yet are implemented in the regular reporting to EBAS but will be a level 3 product derived from the absorption measurements.

Detailed information of methods and sampling durations are found in the metadata associated with the data files.

The total number of sites given in parentheses includes those relevant sites that have been reported to other frameworks and those sites expected to be in EBAS soon. It does not include NRT data.

Note that the number of sites and datasets is continuously changing, current information is representative for end of May 2024.

Particle number concentration (PNC) and particle number size distribution (PNSD) data have been collected from open databases (mainly from ACTRIS Data Centre-EBAS), or directly provided by Air Quality Monitoring Networks and other research stations.

This project has a total of twenty-eight European sites providing hourly 2009-2019 (when available) data of UFP-PSD (ultrafine particles-particle size distribution) by air quality monitoring networks and research supersites to RI-URBANS.

Detailed information of methods and sampling durations are found in the metadata associated with the data files. Data has been checked out and harmonized following ACTRIS recommendations. All data are aggregated to hourly resolution.

In files from the Zenodo database, concentrations of the Nucleation mode (N10-25), Aitken mode (N25-100), Accumulation mode (N10-800), N25-800 and PNC (N10-800), all in # cm^-3 have been calculated.

Annual quality-controlled dataset of particle number size distribution data (PNSD) available in EBAS (dark green) associated to RI-URBANS, including links with access to of the data. The datasets marked in light green are not available in EBAS yet due to pending issues with missing metadata or similar. Stations marked in blue are not associated to the RI-URBANS framework in EBAS but reported to ACTRIS and/or EMEP. (The numbers indicate the fraction of the yearly data coverage; 1,00 indicates 100% yearly data coverage).

Equivalent Black Carbon (eBC) concentrations have been collected from open databases (mainly from ACTRIS Data Centre-EBAS), or directly provided by Air Quality Monitoring Networks and other research stations.

This project has a total of 53 European sites (31 European cities, and 14 European countries) providing hourly 2006-2022 data of eBC (when available) by air quality monitoring networks and research supersites to RI-URBANS.

These 50 measurement sites include 23 urban background (UB) sites, 18 traffic (TR) sites, 7 sub-urban background (SUB) sites, and 2 regional background (RB) sites.

Detailed information of methods and sampling durations are found in the metadata associated with the data files.

EBAS Level 2 quality assured/quality checked (QA/QC) data (EBAS, https://ebas-data.nilu.no/), including physical parameters, is aggregated to hourly averages. EBAS data were processed following the ACTRIS recommendations for the reporting of eBC measurements.

Most datasets were provided directly by partners; they have been received in different types of processing and quality levels. Data has been processed and harmonized following ACTRIS recommendations. These data were averaged hourly (see details in Savadkoohi et al., 2023– DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108081).

Datasets directly provided by data originators are being submitted to EBAS by CSIC as level 2. These datasets present absorption coefficients aggregated to hourly averages. eBC mass concentrations can be calculated from the absorption measurements, by using an agreed mass absorption cross section (MAC), and will be made available as a level 3 product in EBAS.

All datasets collected are presented in the open access secondary repository in ZENODO (Savadkoohi, Marjan, & Pandolfi, Marco. (2023). The variability of mass concentrations and source apportionment analysis of equivalent black carbon across urban Europe [Data set]. Zenodo. (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.798220). Each dataset contains metadata about the measurement site, instrument, and technical operation details. Absorption measurements and hourly averaged concentrations of eBC, calculated by using the nominal MAC of each instrument are included.

A new set of data is being produced using elemental carbon (EC) concentrations and absorption coefficient based on its availability. This new database will be published to provide the site-specific MAC and corrected eBC concentrations (equivalent EC).

Includes links with access to the data.  Stations that are marked in blue are not associated to the RI-URBANS framework in EBAS, while the yellow sites part of the time series is.  (The numbers indicate the fraction of the yearly data coverage; 1,00 indicates 100% yearly data coverage).

Online PM chemical composition is measured at certain sites across Europe using a Quadrupole or Time-of-Flight Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (Q- or ToF-ACSM, Aerodyne Research Inc.). This instrument provides the ambient concentration of the following non-refractory species: Organic aerosol (OA), SO42-, NO3-, NH4+ and Cl-. Sources of organic aerosols are identified by applying the positive matrix factorisation (PMF) receptor model to the organic mass spectra. The time resolution varies depending on instrument and location between 10 and 30 minutes. The size fraction can be PM1 or PM2.5.

Datasets are being compiled for period 2017-2022. EBAS datasets are available in level 2 and 1.5 formats for a low number of sites, providing hourly concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, chloride, ammonium and organic aerosol. Information on the PM chemical composition and organic sources of a larger number of sites are compiled in the secondary repository and form part of an overview publication on organic sources (Chen et al., 2022). RI-URBANS is compiling additional available data in Europe and plan to upload this data to EBAS following harmonized protocols.

Secondary Repository: Chemical composition measurements from 22 sites using an ACSM instrument:  Chen, Gang. (2022). European Aerosol Phenomenology – 8: Harmonised Source Apportionment of Organic Aerosol using 22 Year-long ACSM/AMS Datasets [Data set]. In Environment International (Version 2nd, Vol. 166, p. 107325). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6672710

Includes links with access to of the data. Stations marked in blue are not associated to the RI-URBANS framework in EBAS, but reported to ACTRIS and/or COLOSSAL. (The numbers indicate the fraction of the yearly data coverage; 1,00 indicates 100% yearly data coverage)

VOCs are precursors of PM, nanoparticles and O3.

VOC measurements in urban environments are scarce. In addition, there is no reference methodology, except for specific compounds, which makes it difficult to compare existing measurements.

Only one VOC dataset was previously available at EBAS. In the framework of RI-URBANS, VOC data from additional 21 sites of different typology were collected for the 2001-2023 period, and are being uploaded (done for 19 sites) to EBAS by IMT-Nord. The measurements have been conducted with different types of instruments mainly by gas chromatography systems. Thus, some are continuous observations, from automatic monitoring such as PTR-MS and online-GC, and others from manual sampling as grab sampler of VOC two times per week steel canister or Adsorption tubes during longer periods.

Includes links with access to of the data. Stations marked in blue are not associated to the RI-URBANS framework in EBAS. (The numbers indicate the fraction of the yearly data coverage; 1,00 indicates 100% yearly data coverage).

Urban ammonia (NH₃) is precursor of secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA) a major component of particulate matter.

NH₃ measurements in urban environments are very scarce and frequently restricted to short campaigns. In addition, there is no reference methodology which makes it difficult to compare the existing measurements.

NH₃ datasets from 22 urban sites have been collected in RI-URBANS and uploaded to EBAS by IMT-Nord. Data for 4 additional sites are under process.

Most measurements have been conducted with passive samplers (weekly samples), but also continuous measurements (e.g. online absorption and online IC) are available.

Includes links with access to of the data. The numbers indicate the fraction of the yearly data coverage; 1,00 indicates 100% yearly data coverage.