Articles | Volume 26, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5813-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5813-2026
Research article
 | 
29 Apr 2026
Research article |  | 29 Apr 2026

Sources, concentrations, and seasonal variations of VOC and aerosol particles in downtown Munich in 2023/2024

Yanxia Li, Hengheng Zhang, Xuefeng Shi, Yaowei Li, Sophie Abou-Rizk, Jessica B. Smith, Zhaojin An, Adrian Wenzel, Junwei Song, Thomas Leisner, Frank Keutsch, Jia Chen, and Harald Saathoff

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Cited articles

Ahn, J.-W., Dinh, T.-V., Park, S.-Y., Choi, I.-Y., Park, C.-R., and Son, Y.-S.: Characteristics of biogenic volatile organic compounds emitted from major species of street trees and urban forests, Atmos. Pollut. Res., 13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2022.101470, 2022. 
Äijälä, M., Heikkinen, L., Fröhlich, R., Canonaco, F., Prévôt, A. S. H., Junninen, H., Petäjä, T., Kulmala, M., Worsnop, D., and Ehn, M.: Resolving anthropogenic aerosol pollution types – deconvolution and exploratory classification of pollution events, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3165–3197, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3165-2017, 2017. 
Äijälä, M., Daellenbach, K. R., Canonaco, F., Heikkinen, L., Junninen, H., Petäjä, T., Kulmala, M., Prévôt, A. S. H., and Ehn, M.: Constructing a data-driven receptor model for organic and inorganic aerosol – a synthesis analysis of eight mass spectrometric data sets from a boreal forest site, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 3645–3672, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-3645-2019, 2019. 
Aiken, A. C., DeCarlo, P. F., Kroll, J. H., Worsnop, D. R., Huffman, J. A., Docherty, K. S., Ulbrich, I. M., Mohr, C., Kimmel, J. R., Sueper, D., Sun, Y., Zhang, Q., Trimborn, A., Northway, M., Ziemann, P. J., Canagaratna, M. R., Onasch, T. B., Alfarra, M. R., and Prevot, A. S. H.: O / C and OM / OC Ratios of Primary, Secondary, and Ambient Organic Aerosols with High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometry, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 4478–4485, 2008. 
Belis, C. A., Larsen, B. R., Amato, F., El Haddad, I., Favez, O., Harrison, R. M., Hopke, P. K., Nava, S., Paatero, P., Prévôt, A., Quass, U., Vecchi, R., and Viana, M.: European Guide on Air Pollution Source Apportionment with Receptor Models, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, https://doi.org/10.2788/9307, 2013. 
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Short summary
We analyzed Munich air samples across seasons to identify pollution sources. Traffic contributes less to particles than expected, while biomass burning dominates year-round. Summer barbecuing and winter heating release significant pollution. Monoterpene emissions from plants produce particles at night. Effective air quality improvement requires year-round strategies targeting biomass burning, not just vehicles. Understanding each city's pollution patterns is essential for public health.
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