Overview of the Temporal Variation of PM10 Mass Concentrations in the two Major Cities in Greece: Athens and Thessaloniki

Literature reports have indicated that Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations in the atmosphere over
the major urban centres of Greece are high compared to other European cities of the same size. The
great majority of these reports are based on measurements that have been conducted over a limited
amount of time. This study provides an overview of the temporal variation that shows the trends of
PM10 concentrations in the two major urban centres of Greece (Athens and Thessaloniki) during the
last decade (i.e., from 2001 to 2010). Annual average PM10 concentrations at the urban monitoring
stations in Athens range from 32.3 to 62.5 μg m-3, and at the suburban stations from 21.5 to 62.9 μg
m-3. In Thessaloniki the respective values range from 41.7 to 70.8 μg m-3 for the urban stations, and
from 23.4 to 51.5 μg m-3 for the suburban. The highest and the lowest monthly average PM10
concentrations at the urban stations in Athens are observed during the autumn/winter and the
summer months, respectively. For the suburban stations the highest values are observed during the
spring and the lowest during the winter. In Thessaloniki, autumn exhibits the highest and summer the
lowest PM10 values both for the urban and the suburban stations.