title: Relationship of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with oxy(quinone) and nitro derivatives during air mass transport.
abstract: Airborne concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), quinone and nitro derivatives have been measured at three sites on the coast of Saudi Arabia to the north of the city of Jeddah. The PAH show a general reduction in concentrations from northwest to southeast, consistent with a source from a petrochemical works to the northwest of the sampling sites. In comparison, the concentrations of quinones show little variation between the sampling sites consistent with these being predominantly longer lived secondary pollutants formed from PAH oxidation. The nitro-PAH show a gradient in concentrations similar to but smaller than that for the PAH suggesting a balance between atmospheric formation and removal by photolysis. The 2-nitrofluoranthene:1-nitropyrene ratio increases from north to south, consistent with atmospheric chemical formation of the former compound, while the ratio of 2-nitrofluoranthene:2-nitropyrene is consistent with hydroxyl radical as the dominant reactant. An investigation of the changes in PAH congener ratios during air mass transport along the Red Sea coast shows consistency with reaction with a relatively low concentration of hydroxyl radical only for the day with the highest concentrations. It is concluded that while PAH degradation is occurring by chemical reaction, emissions from other locations along the air mass trajectory are most probably also leading to changes in congener ratios.
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom; Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: r.m.harrison@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Roy M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mohammed S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.affiliation: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Basahi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mansour A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alghamdi
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, 21526 El Shatby, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia; Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khoder
mesh_terms: D000392:Air Movements; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D011809:Quinones / Q000032:analysis*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D011809:Quinones
keywords: Atmospheric concentrations; Chemical reactions; Nitro-PAH; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Quinones