Dear Colleagues, 

Tackling air pollution is fundamental to ensure our health and the health of ecosystems we rely on and guarantee sustainable development of our societies.

Scientific interest is focused on the development of innovative and multidisciplinary methodologies to understand the source apportionment and the spreading mechanisms of pollutants. In the ensemble of methodologies, environmental magnetism may play a role. Aerosols have remarkable magnetic properties related to the content of magnetic particles arising from both anthropogenic and natural processes.

Since early studies on magnetic aerosols in 1980, numerous studies have been carried out studying the origin, distribution, and fate of magnetic particles in our environment and their association with environmental contaminants such as particulate matter (PM), heavy metals, and NO₂. Magnetic properties have been shown to depend on PM composition, and therefore, source contribution. Biomagnetic techniques have been developed using biological substrates (e.g., tree leaves) as passive accumulation surfaces for environmental contaminants. They present a low-cost methodology for environmental sampling at a high spatial resolution. However, they must be validated against well-controlled sampling methods.

The open-access journal Atmosphere is hosting a Special Issue with the aim of reviewing the state of the art in this subject, showing the extent, degree of application, and potentiality of these methodologies. 

Original results from field and controlled investigations, use of models, and review papers related to environmental magnetism applied to the air quality field are all welcomed. Contributions relating magnetic properties to specific health-relevant particulate matter constituents (heavy metals, PAHs, etc.), allowing for source attribution in mixed-source (e.g., urban) environments or bridging the gap between environmental magnetism and health effects from air pollution are highly encouraged. We also encourage the presentation of papers connected to the magnetic monitoring of the effects of the recent lockdown measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality. 

Dr. Arantxa Revuelta
Dr. Aldo Winkler
Dr. Jelle Hofman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Environmental magnetism
• Aerosol
• Source apportionment
• Health-relevant PM constituents
• Effects of lockdown measures
• Biomagnetic monitoring
• Air pollution
• PM composition