Carbonaceous aerosol accounts for a large portion of the ambient aerosol across Europe. Its sources can be both natural and anthropogenic; the latter increasing dramatically in recent years with economic and industrial growth, along with the ever escalating global population. Carbonaceous aerosols impact the atmospheric radiative balance, climate change and regional air quality while also adversely affecting human health. It is, therefore, key to determine the relative contribution of combustion sources; making use of either fossil fuels, such as road traffic, or biomass burning, such as domestic solid fuel and wood burning.

Characterisation and Source Apportionment Project Factsheet