Changes in the domestic heating fuel in Greece: effects on atmospheric chemistry and radiation

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Abstract

Abstract. For the past 8 years, Greece has been experiencing a major financial crisis which, among other side effects, led to a shift in the fuel used for residential heating from fossil fuel towards bio-fuels, primarily wood. This study simulates the fate of the residential wood burning aerosol plume (RWB smog) and implications on atmospheric chemistry and radiation, with the support of detailed aerosol characterization from measurements during the winter 2013–2014 in Athens. The applied model system (TNO-MACC_II emissions/COSMO-ART model) and configuration used, accurately predicts the frequent nighttime aerosol spikes (hourly PM10 > 75 μg m−3) and their chemical profile (carbonaceous components and ratios). Updated temporal and chemical RWB emission profiles, derived from measurements, were used, while the level of model performance was tested for different heating demand conditions, resulting to better agreement with measurements for Tmin