Chemistry, radiation, aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere of Córdoba City

M. LAURA LÓPEZ; MARIANA ACHAD; LUIS E. OLCESE; GUSTAVO G. PALANCAR; BEATRIZ M. TOSELLI

Actas del Segundo Taller Argentino de Ciencias Ambientales

Zeus

Lugar: Santa Fe; Año: 2013; p. 315 - 329

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-315 nm) is monitored in Córdoba, Argentina (31º 24' S,64º 11' W, 400 m above sea level) using a Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) pyranometer,model UVB-1. Measurements of solar broad band UV-B irradiances are conducted sinceNovember 1998. These are, to our knowledge, the first measurements obtained in Córdoba witha high quality pyranometer. For clear sky days, the measurements are in good agreement withresults of a radiative transfer model. However, this study shows substantial reductions of UV-Bradiation on cloudy days and days with high levels of particle matter. These two effects arecomprehensively addressed in this chapter. The effects of cumulus, cirrus, and stratocumulusclouds on surface radiation are specifically analyzed. In addition, the effect of aerosols on airquality is addressed measuring the monthly concentration of PM10 (2009-2010) and PM2.5(2009-2011) and the average chemical composition (2009-2010) by means of the Synchrotronradiation X-ray fluorescence technique (SR-XRF). Electronic microcopies (TEM, SEM) areused to analyze individual particles and provide complementary information on shape, size andchemical composition.