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Seasonal and diurnal variations of BTEX and their potential for ozone formation in the urban background atmosphere of the coastal city Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Past measurements of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations from Middle Eastern countries are very few, and this study assesses the concentrations and processes affecting benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in the atmosphere of an urban background area of Jeddah, a coastal city in Saudi Arabia, and their potential for ozone formation. The measurements were carried out for a year (from December 2011 to November 2012) and include hourly BTEX and meteorological parameters. The annual average concentrations of BTEX species were 0.41 ppb for benzene, 1.40 ppb for toluene, 0.49 ppb for ethylbenzene, 1.56 ppb for m,p-xylene and 0.94 ppb for o-xylene. The annual mean benzene level (0.41 ppb, ∼1.31 μg m−3) did not exceed the annual threshold level (5 μg m−3) set by the European Union but still represents a small risk to human health. BTEX showed a seasonal variation, with higher concentrations during the spring and lower concentrations during the autumn. The diurnal variation of BTEX concentrations followed a commonly observed pattern, with two peaks associated with high traffic volumes. m,p-Xylene was the largest contributor to ozone formation potential followed by o-xylene, toluene and benzene. The significantly positive correlation between BTEX compounds as well as the ratio of toluene/benzene (average = 4.03) suggested that vehicle emissions were the major source of BTEX during the whole investigated period. m,p-Xylene-to-ethylbenzene ratios showed an annual mean of 3.18 with little variability during the different seasons indicating that the photochemical age in the study area is relatively young due to the continual fresh emissions experienced in Jeddah city.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, under grant no. 1220/430. The authors therefore acknowledge with thanks DSR and KAU for their technical and financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology Environment and Arid Land Agriculture King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80208, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    M. A. Alghamdi, M. Khoder, A. S. Abdelmaksoud, R. M. Harrison, H. Al-Jeelani, M. H. Goknil, I. I. Shabbaj & F. M. Almehmadi

  2. Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    M. Khoder & R. M. Harrison

  3. Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    R. M. Harrison

  4. Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. BOX 64, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    T. Hussein & K. Hämeri

  5. Department of Physics, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan

    T. Hussein

  6. Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palménin aukio 1, P.O. Box 503, 00101, Helsinki, Finland

    H. Lihavainen & A.-P. Hyvärinen

Authors
  1. M. A. Alghamdi
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  2. M. Khoder
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  3. A. S. Abdelmaksoud
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  4. R. M. Harrison
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  5. T. Hussein
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  6. H. Lihavainen
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  7. H. Al-Jeelani
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  8. M. H. Goknil
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  9. I. I. Shabbaj
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  10. F. M. Almehmadi
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  11. A.-P. Hyvärinen
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  12. K. Hämeri
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. M. Harrison.

Additional information

Highlights

• One year of continuously collected BTEX data is analysed.

• Concentrations are highest in spring and lowest in autumn.

• The main source is road traffic

• The potential for ozone formation is analysed.

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Alghamdi, M.A., Khoder, M., Abdelmaksoud, A.S. et al. Seasonal and diurnal variations of BTEX and their potential for ozone formation in the urban background atmosphere of the coastal city Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Air Qual Atmos Health 7, 467–480 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-014-0263-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-014-0263-x

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