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The use of plant protection products (PPPs) has become fundamental to guarantee excellent field productivity. Nevertheless, their usage presents critical issues, such as the quantity of substances used, the relative toxicity, and the contamination of nearby fields caused by atmospheric drift. This study focuses on the characterization of aerosol droplets of PPPs produced by spraying a chemical marker, fluorescein, with an orchard airblast sprayer equipped with conventional hollow cone (HC) and anti-drift air inclusion (AI) nozzles, using a wind tunnel as a controlled environment. A particle/droplet image analysis was employed to study the droplet production of the nozzles, while a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) analysis allowed us to evaluate samples collected using a cascade impactor located at 5 m, 10 m, and 20 m from the emission point. Overall, HC nozzles are very accurate at producing specific drop size distributions (DSDs), while AI nozzles produce a much wider DSD, concentrating the largest part of the distributed volume into droplets of a larger size. The marker concentration was much lower for the AI nozzles compared to the HC nozzles; moreover, the two nozzles show a similar trend in the coarse droplet range, while significantly differing in the fine droplet spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidation products of α-pinene represent a fraction of organic matter in the environmental aerosol. α-pinene is one of most abundant monoterpenes released in the atmosphere by plants, located typically in boreal, temperate and tropical forests. This primary compound reacts with atmospheric oxidants, such as O 3 , O 2 , OH radicals and NO x , through the major tropospheric degradation pathway for many monoterpenes under typical atmospheric condition. Although several studies identified a series of by-products deriving from the α-pinene photo-oxidation in the atmosphere, such as pinic and cis-pinonic acid, the knowledge of the mechanism of this process is partially still lacking. Thus, the investigation of the distribution of these acids in the different size aerosol particles provides additional information on this regard. The aim of this study is twofold. First, we aim to improve the existing analytical methods for the determination of pinic and cis-pinonic acid in aerosol samples, especially in terms of analytical sensitivity and limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ). We even attempted to increase the knowledge of the α-pinene photo-oxidation processes by analysing, for the first time, the particle-size distribution up to nanoparticle level of pinic and cis-pinonic acid. The analysis of aerosol samples was carried out via high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The instrumental LOD values of cis-pinonic and pinic acid are 1.6 and 1.2 ng L −1 while LOQ values are 5.4 and 4.1 ng L −1 , respectively. Samples were collected by MOUDI II™ cascade impactor with twelve cut-sizes, from March to May 2016 in the urban area of Mestre-Venice (Italy). The range concentrations in the aerosol samples were from 0.1 to 0.9 ng m −3 for cis-pinonic acid and from 0.1 to 0.8 ng m −3 for pinic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North-Eastern Italy and in particular Veneto Region, stands out as a major centre of agriculture and viticulture which has rapidly expanded in the last decade with high productivity indexes. In this context, assessing atmospheric pollution caused by crop spraying with pesticides in rural areas and their transport to high-altitude remote sites is crucial to provide a basis for understanding possible impacts on the environment and population health. We aim to improve existing methods with a highly sensitive technique by using high pressure anion exchange chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Thus, a total of fourteen polar pesticides were determined in aerosol samples collected from August to December 2021 at Roncade (Venetian plain) and Col Margherita Observatory (Dolomites). The observatory was chosen as the background site as it is representative of the surrounding alpine region. Some samples revealed a substantial amount of cyanuric acid mainly at Roncade (mean concentration of 10 ± 10 ng m−3), glyphosate and fosetyl-aluminium (0.1 ± 0.2 and 0.1 ± 0.1 ng m−3, respectively). Surprisingly, some pesticides have been also found at Col Margherita, a high mountain background site, with concentrations an order of magnitude lower than at Roncade. This is the first time that fourteen polar pesticides have been assessed in the aerosol phase of the Po' Valley and detected at a high-altitude remote site, and consequently this study provides the first data on their occurrences in Italian aerosols. It represents a basis for the assessment of risks for humans. [Display omitted] • A sensitive method was developed for fourteen pesticides in atmospheric aerosol. • The spray drift is likely the main atmospheric source of pesticides at rural site. • Both valley breeze and boundary layer affected the pesticides load in the Alps. • Preliminary assessments are provided on the risk posed by pesticide drift to human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the year-round variability of the water-soluble fraction of trace elements (wsTE) and rare earth elements (wsREE) among size segregated airborne particulate matter samples collected at Ny-Ålesund in the Svalbard Archipelago from 26 February 2018 to 26 February 2019. Six different aerosol dimensional fractions were collected using a multi-stage Andersen impactor to better understand local and global circulation with the aim of disentangling the source of inorganic tracers from specific natural or anthropogenic sources. The wsTE and wsREE content, especially in the finest fractions in remote areas, is primarily related to long-range transport and it gives valuable information on (1) the global circulation, (2) the natural sources and (3) the contribution of human activities to aerosol composition. A Factor Analysis was applied to the dataset, including levoglucosan and methanesulfonic acid (MSA), to assess the possibility of using certain inorganic tracers as indicators of specific transport events or circulation regimes. We also investigate back-trajectories to determine potential source areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic acids in aerosols Earth's atmosphere are ubiquitous and they have been extensively studied across urban, rural and polar environments. However, little is known about their properties, transport, source and seasonal variations in the Svalbard Archipelago. Here, we present the annual trend of organic acids in the aerosol collected at Ny-Ålesund and consider their size-distributions to infer their possible sources and relative contributions. A series of carboxylic acids were detected with a predominance of C2-oxalic acid. Pinic acid and cis-pinonic acid were studied in order to better understand the oxidative and gas-to-particle processes occurred in the Arctic atmosphere. Since the water-soluble organic fraction is mainly composed by organic acids and ions, we investigated how the seasonal variation leads to different atmospheric transport mechanisms, focusing on the chemical variations between the polar night and boreal summer. Using major ions, levoglucosan and MSA, the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) identified five different possible sources: a) sea spray; b) marine primary production; c) biomass burning; d) sea ice related process and e) secondary products. Unlabelled Image • A year-round record of organic acids was studied in Arctic aerosols. • The study investigates sources and seasonal trend of particulate organic acids. • The study provides an overview of the change of sources throughout the seasons. • PMF defines five sources for low molecular weight organic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of atmospheric aerosol collected at the Col Margherita Atmospheric Observatory (46° 22ˈ 0.059ˈˈ N, 11° 47ˈ 30.911ˈˈ E, 2543 m a.s.l.) was investigated during spring and summer 2018. This is the first study of this area and should lead to a better understanding of the aerosol chemical composition in the Southern slope of the Eastern Italian Alps, with the aim of proposing this high altitude site as a background station. Aerosol samples were analyzed to determine several water soluble components (Cl−, Br−, I−, NO 3 −, SO 4 2−, K+, Mg2+, Na+, NH 4 +, Ca2+), organic acids (methanesulfonic acid and C 2 –C 7 carboxylic acids), monosaccharides, alcohol-sugars, levoglucosan and its isomers, sucrose, phenolic compounds, free L- and D-amino acids and photo-oxidation products of α-pinene (cis-pinonic acid and pinic acid). The majority of the mass concentration is explained by ionic species, but the other investigated compounds allow us to study other processes or identify the potential sources. Carboxylic acids and photochemical products of α-pinene were used to study photochemical or oxidative processes. Biomass burning input was evaluated using two specific classes of biomarkers: anhydrosugars and phenolic compounds, while biogenic inputs were studied using sugars and free amino acids. None of these water soluble organic compounds have been properly investigated previously in alpine sites because their concentrations in aerosol are very low. • Chemical composition of aerosol collected at Col Margherita Atmospheric Observatory. • First investigation of water soluble organic compounds in alpine sites. • Col Margherita Atmospheric Observatory as background site in the Eastern Italian Alps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]