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A section in the basal part of the Opalinuston Formation was studied in detail along the Krumm creek between the villages of Ottenbach and Eislingen/Fils-Krummwälden, in the area of the middle Swabian Alb. The studied section contains a succession of three ammonite biohorizons. The lowermost one is the herein newly introduced torulosum/opalinum biohorizon, which represents the oldest biohorizon in the Aalenian of Swabia. It is correlated with the “misera-Horizont” of Ohmert described from the abandoned clay-pit at Wittnau near Freiburg im Breisgau in the Upper Rhinegraben area. Above follow the opalinum and dilucidum biohorizons. We here document and discuss the ammonite assemblages of these three biohorizons.

The litho- and biostratigraphy of the Sissach Member of the Passwang Formation in the area around Moutier (Faltenjura, NW Switzerland) are described. Several ammonite taxa from the Upper Aalenian and Lower Bajocian are recorded for the first time from NW Switzerland, and one new species, Emileites christophi, is introduced.

From the lower Kimmeridgian Lacunosamergel Formation of southwestern Swabia, a lytoceratid identified as Lytoceras orsinii Gemmellaro, 1872 is described. Previously, only four lytoceratid specimens have been reported from the entire Upper Jurassic of this region. The specimen of L. orsinii originates from the highly diverse geniculatum biohorizon of the uppermost Platynota Zone, which had provided numerous other “exotic” ammonite genera of Tethys origin. Together with the latter, the new record is interpreted as short-term immigrants from the Tethys into the Submediterranean.

A new belemnite species from the Aalenian of the Swabian Alb is introduced herein. Acrocoelites ippolitae Weis n. sp. is hitherto the youngest representative of the genus Acrocoelites in NW Europe (lower to upper Aalenian). Specimens tentatively assigned to the new species (A. cf. ippolitae) are known also from lower Bajocian strata of Luxembourg. The unique morphology of the apical grooves distinguishes it chiefly from other coeval megateuthidid taxa. Considering the peculiar position of the ventral groove, A. ippolitae is suggested to be part of an ancestral lineage leading to the megateuthidid genus Eocylindroteuthis, from the lower Bajocian.

Five new ammonite finds from the Hauptrogenstein of the southern Upper Rhine Graben are described. These prove the Blagdeni subzone (Humphriesianum zone, Early Bajocian) and the Polygyralis subzone (Niortense zone, Late Bajocian) as well as an approximate demarcation of the latter to the Baculata subzone (Niortense zone). Résumé

Traffic-related non-exhaust particulate matter mainly consists of tire wear, brake wear, and road wear. For this study, passive-samplers were placed near highly frequented roads in industrial, agricultural, and urban environments with the aim of collecting and characterizing super-coarse (> 10 µm) airborne particles. Single-particle analysis using SEM-EDX was conducted on more than 500 particles with nearly 1500 spectra to determine their size, shape, volume, and chemical composition. The ambient aerosol near all studied roads is dominated by traffic-related abrasion particles, amounting to approximately 90 vol%. The majority of the particles were composites of tire-, road-, and brake-abrasion material. The particle assemblages differed in size distribution, composition, and structure depending on driving speed, traffic flow, and traffic fleet. Our study documents that tire wear significantly contributes to the flux of microplastics into the environment. A decrease in the release of this abrasion material, however, is unlikely in the near future.

Measuring and characterizing airborne particulate matter (PM) is an important research area because PM can lead to impacts on health and to visibility reduction, material damage and groundwater pollution. In regard to road dust, suspension and re-suspension and the contribution of non-exhaust PM to total traffic emissions are expected to increase as a result of predicted climate scenarios. European environmental regulations have been enforced to reduce exhaust particle emissions from road traffic, but little attention has been paid to reducing non-exhaust coarse particle emissions due to traffic. Therefore, a monitoring program for coarse PM has been initiated in early 2013 to assess the predicted increase in the abundance of non-exhaust particles. Particle sampling was performed with the passive-sampler technique Sigma-2. The subsequent single-particle analysis allows for characterization of individual particles, determination of PM size distribution, and calculation of PM mass concentrations. Two motorways near Cologne (Köln), Germany were selected as sampling sites, and the experimental setup in the field was realized with a so-called twin-site method. The present study reports single-particle analysis data for samples collected between May 31, 2013 and May 30, 2014. Coarse PM, generated through multi-source mechanisms, consists of, e.g., tire-wear, soot aggregates, and mineral dust. The highest mass concentration occurs at both motorways in spring, and the observed PM mainly contains traffic-abrasion particles. The field measurements show that the minimum PM concentration was found in the 5 to 12°C temperature range, whereas the maximum concentration was observed in both the –5 to 5°C and the 12 to 24°C ranges, in agreement with previous laboratory measurements. Correlation between super-coarse (dp10−80 µm, geometric equivalent diameter) PM concentration and precipitation displays a significant increase in concentration with decreasing number of precipitation events (dry weather periods).

This study examines the influence of different analysis techniques on the results concerning the particle size distribution and mineralogical composition of airborne particles. Volcanic ash from the Eyjafjalla volcano was examined with a transmitted light microscope (TLM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), SEM equipped with an automatic single-particle analysis program, and an electron microprobe (EMP) and the results differ considerably. Main error source is the specific particle size determination for each method. Here, a sample containing airborne particles of volcanic material was analyzed for sizedifferentiated particle number (n) on the evaluation area per unit time (number settling rate). The results of the TLM reveal a higher abundance of particles = 8 µm than those obtained by manual SEM and EMP analysis, whereas the opposite is observed for particles <8 µm. When using SEM combined with automated single-particle analysis the number of identified particles is reduced compared to the manually obtained values. As error sources we identified uneven surfaces for SEM and EMP, the identification of transparent and light-colored particles under TLM, and the setting of brightness and contrast. The consequence of these discrepancies is that the TLM analysis leads to overestimation of feldspar, whereas the SEM and EMP techniques overestimate the abundances of pyroxene, quartz and other minerals in the studied sample.

The stratigraphy of part of the Inferior Oolite Formation at Frogden Quarry, Dorset, U.K. is revised based on new ammonite evidence. In the Lower Inferior Oolite Formation the Oborne Ironshot Member is erected to include beds 4 to 5 of the section (Sauzei and Humphriesianum zones). Oborne is designated as the type locality. For part of the Upper Inferior Oolite Formation of the Inferior Oolite Group in the Sherborne area of Dorset a new formal lithostratigraphical scheme is proposed, with the Sherborne Limestone Member at the base (including the basal Acanthothyris Beds, Sherborne Building Stone Beds and Redhole Lane Beds) followed by the Combe Limestone Member. The Sherborne Limestone Member is shown to belong to one ammonite faunal horizon, Bj-24a Garantiana dichotoma, of the Garantiana Zone. In the Combe Limestone Member a new ammonite faunal horizon Bj-24b Garantiana subgaranti is described for the first time in England. Faunal horizons Bj-25 Garantiana tetragona and Bj-26 Parkinsonia rarecostata are confirmed in the Sherborne area. A mechanism is suggested for the deposition of the Sherborne Limestone Member.

Since 2009, the measurement of the background concentration of the fine particle fraction has been a part of the climate-monitoring program of the German Meteorological Service (DWD). These particles are of high health relevance as a critical air pollutant affecting processes like the scattering and absorption of solar radiation and influencing cloud formation and visibility. At 12 weather stations, the coarse (2.5 to 10 l m) and the fine particle fractions (PM2.5) are measured by means of passive and active samplers. First results are presented for the mass concentrations of coarse and fine particles as well as for the black carbon (BC) content and the concentration of certain inorganic ions of fine particles. There is not only a seasonal correlation between the fraction of fine and coarse particles, but also a correlation with the location (urban background or rural background). With the help of light microscopy, coarse particles can be differentiated for a geogenic (predominantly wind blown mineral and sea salt particles of natural origin and road abrasion) and for an anthropogenic opaque component (combustion residues, e.g. fly ash and non-exhaust vehicle emissions, e.g. abrasion particles of brakes and tires). Measuring the fine fraction and the coarse fraction separately instead of PM10allows for a better source allocation and thus is a more appropriate method for the improvement of the air quality in, e.g. low emission zones.

This paper is based on the results of three air quality studies conducted in Buenos Aires in Berlin, and in German spas between 2003 and 2007. A high comparability of results was ensured by using the same sampling techniques and analytical methods. Total particle sampling was achieved by active sampling of fine (PM2.5) and passive sampling of coarse particles ≥2.5 µm and giant particles ≥10 µm. The highly absorbing, black, predominantly carbonaceous particles (BC) of fine particle samples were determined by measuring the total light attenuation of filter samples and interpreting the extinction value as black carbon. The difference between the gravimetric total mass concentration of the PM2.5samples and the BC is defined as the transparent, mostly mineral fine fraction. In coarse/giant particle samples the mean gray value was determined by means of automated light microscopy with subsequent single-particle analysis. “Opaque” particles were separated from the “transparent” particle fraction by applying a grey value threshold level. Microscopic measurement of individual particles was employed to establish the size distribution of the coarse and giant fraction. Due to different health effects, the separate detection of these components is suggested. Decline functions of particles are given, possibly providing useful information for a more detailed specification of the local particle distribution, and for a better estimate of the individual exposure. Atmospheric dispersal of particles was found effected mainly by source characteristics. An increased, spatially largely constant level of fine transparent particles in Berlin indicates a particle plume originating from photochemical processes. Buenos Aires, in contrast, is characterized by a lower background level of fine transparent particles but is considerably affected by fine black particles from diesel emissions and by a higher resuspension of coarse/giant transparent, mainly soil particles.Implications:Mini-volume and passive sampling combined proved to be suitable for measuring total particles by collecting fine, coarse, and giant particles. This approach allows the acquisition of highly space-resolved data on a weekly basis. A method was employed to calculate a size-fractionated particle concentration from passive samples. The results from three air quality studies using this method demonstrate that the black/opaque and transparent particles distinguished differ considerably in spatial distribution, not only due to varying atmospheric residence. Estimates of the exposure of humans, therefore, have to consider the different effects of rural and urban conditions, and differences between regional climates.