Abstract:The objective of this work was to assess the yearly contribution of fossil fuel combustion (BC ff ) and wood burning (BC wb ) to equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations, in Athens, Greece. Measurements were conducted at a suburban site from March 2013 to February 2014 and included absorption coefficients at seven wavelengths and PM 2.5 chemical composition data for key biomass burning markers, i.e., levoglucosan, potassium (K) and elemental and organic carbon (EC, OC). A well-documented methodology of corrections for aethalometer attenuation coefficients was applied with a resulting annual dataset of derived absorption coefficients for the suburban Athens' atmospheric aerosol. The Aethalometer model was applied for the source apportionment of eBC. An optimum Ångström exponent for fossil fuel (α ff ) was found, based on the combined use of the model with levoglucosan data. The measured eBC concentrations were equal to 2.4 ± 1.0 µg m −3 and 1.6 ± 0.6 µg m −3 , during the cold and the warm period respectively. The contribution from wood burning was significantly higher during the cold period (21 ± 11%, versus 6 ± 7% in the warm period). BC ff displayed a clear diurnal pattern with a morning peak between 8 and 10 a.m. (during morning rush hour) and a second peak during the evening and night hours, due to the shallowing of the mixing layer. Regression analysis between BC wb concentrations and biomass burning markers (levoglucosan, K and OC/EC ratio) supported the validity of the results.