Air Quality Assessment in the Central Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea): Anthropic Impact and Miscellaneous Natural Sources, including Volcanic Contribution, on the Budget of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Abstract

The results of air pollution assessment during a 2017 cruise of the research ship “Minerva Uno” in the Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs), and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, and sulphur dioxide were monitored throughout the cruise. The shallow waters at ten sites of the investigated area were also analyzed. Organic compounds such as n-alkanes showed a bimodal distribution with a maximum at C5–C6 and C10–C11 at sites the most affected by anthropic impact, whereas remote sites showed a unimodal distribution with maximum at C10–C11. The most abundant atmospheric OVOC was acetone (3.66 μg/m3), accounting for 38%; formaldehyde (1.23 μg/m3) and acetaldehyde (0.99 μg/m3) made up about 22–29% of the total. The influence of some natural sources as volcanoes, in the southern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Aeolian arc was studied. This source did not induce any noticeable effect on the total amount of hydrocarbons nor on the levels of trace gases such as CFCs, whereas the trends of sulphur dioxide seemed to confirm a possible contribution. The impact of underwater emissions was observed near the Panarea and Vulcano islands, where lower pHs, high levels of Fe and Mn, and diagnostic of vent activity, were measured.

Long-Term Tropospheric Ozone Data Analysis 1997–2019 at Giordan Lighthouse, Gozo, Malta

“…Photochemical formation of ozone has been reported with mostly slow increase in the Western Mediterranean area in background stations, following the low precursor emissions of NO X and VOC, while the increase in ozone volume ratios was much higher at urban stations [38]. On account of the influence of VOC on ozone formation in the maritime boundary layer over the sea, research is conducted directly on the sea with no significant impact on the ozone concentration found [39,40]. Ship emissions across the Mediterranean Sea show positive contribution to the summertime average ozone volume ratios of up to 12 ppb and up to 40 ppb near busy lines, such as should be the situation in Malta [41].…”

Disclosing Fast Detection Opportunities with Nanostructured Chemiresistor Gas Sensors Based on Metal Oxides, Carbon, and Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

“…The growing awareness of pollution dangers and their consequences on human heath underlined the importance of monitoring and analyzing air quality. Anthropic activity causes the release of several harmful gases in the atmosphere, such as , , , , , and [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. These gases, called primary pollutants, are not only are dangerous for health [ 11 ] and the climate, but, in atmosphere, they can react with each other, water, and other gases, forming the so-called secondary pollutants, such as , , and , yielding many destructive phenomena such as acid rain [ 2 ].…”

Using Hybrid PDI-Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Capturing Aliphatic Alcohols: Halogen Bonding vs. Lone Pair–π Interactions

“…The perseverance of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere constitutes an important environmental challenge, with deep implications for air quality, human health, and ecosystem integrity [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. VOCs encompass a series of organic chemicals characterized by a high vapor pressure and a low boiling point at room temperature, facilitating their release into the atmosphere from various anthropogenic and natural sources [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”