Quantitative Assessment of PM(2.5) Sources and Their Seasonal Variation in Krakow

In industry areas of Poland such as Silesia or urban sites like Krakow and some other cities, the levels of pollutants frequently breach air quality standards. Particulate matter (PM) is the most important constituent of atmospheric pollution. Beginning on 1st February 2014 until 31st January 2015, the samples of fine particulate matter PM(2.5) (aerodynamic diameter of particles less than or equal to 2.5 μm) were collected at a site in the south-eastern Krakow urban background area. During this period, 194 samples were taken. The samples showed daily variation of PM(2.5) concentration. From these data, monthly variations were estimated and presented in this paper. Monthly integrated data are more representative for the Krakow urban background and show seasonal variation of PM(2.5) pollution. The lowest monthly concentration value was found for August 2014—about 10 μg m(−3), the highest for February 2014–70 μg m(−3), whereas the average annual value was about 31 μg/m(3). Utilizing X-ray fluorescence method, concentrations of 15 elements for each sample were determined and 8 inorganic ions were analyzed by ion chromatography. Additionally, the samples were analyzed for black carbon (BC). Receptor model PMF (positive matrix factorization) was used for source identification and apportionment. The modeling identified six sources and their quantitative contributions to PM(2.5) total mass. The following sources were identified: combustion, secondary nitrate and sulfate, biomass burning, industry or/and soil and traffic. Finally, monthly variations of each source are presented.