Validation of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Experimental Science Education (AEQ-S).

The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ), based on the control-value theory of achievement emotions, has been used in many fields of knowledge and has been translated into many languages. The main objective of this study was to adapt and validate it for the experimental sciences. A sample of 491 participants aged between 11 and 17 years (M = 13.73, SD = 1.19) from secondary schools in different localities in the provinces of Huelva and Lanzarote, Spain was used. The results obtained from the various statistical analyses showed that the questionnaire was valid and reliable. The main contribution of the work presented is to broaden the field of application of a test on emotions, AEQ-S, to experimental sciences. The AEQ-ES will allow us to learn the emotional profiles of students, thus providing information to teachers, and will be very useful for future research aimed at the study of emotions in experimental sciences.

Antimony speciation as geochemical tracer for anthropogenic emissions of atmospheric particulate matter.

The chemical composition of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has been studied at the cities of Cordoba and Granada (South of Spain) between 2007 and 2013, considering urban background, traffic and industrial monitoring stations. The results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that geochemical anomalies observed in the ambient air of Cordoba (mainly Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) are closely related to the geochemical profile obtained from fugitive metallurgy emissions of brass industries. These findings have been confirmed performing an Sb speciation analysis of PM10 samples, which allowed to distinguish between Sb(III) and Sb(V). The percentage of Sb(V) in PM10 found in the traffic station of Granada was 64-69%. At Cordoba, the percentage of Sb(V) was found to be higher (73-77%) at both urban background and traffic stations, indicating a possible second source of Sb in the PM of this city. The PM10 samples from the industrial station of Cordoba showed a 85-86% of Sb(V). A similar percentage (84-88%) of Sb(V) was found for the fugitive emissions of the brass industries, confirming this industrial source of Sb. These results show that Sb speciation can be a useful geochemical tracer to identify anthropogenic sources (traffic and industrial) emissions of PM.

Modeling and evaluation of urban pollution events of atmospheric heavy metals from a large Cu-smelter.

Metal smelting and processing are highly polluting activities that have a strong influence on the levels of heavy metals in air, soil, and crops. We employ an atmospheric transport and dispersion model to predict the pollution levels originated from the second largest Cu-smelter in Europe. The model predicts that the concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) in an urban area close to the Cu-smelter can reach 170, 70, and 30 ng m−3, respectively. The model captures all the observed urban pollution events, but the magnitude of the elemental concentrations is predicted to be lower than that of the observed values; ~300, ~500, and ~100 ng m−3 for Cu, Zn, and As, respectively. The comparison between model and observations showed an average correlation coefficient of 0.62 ± 0.13. The simulation shows that the transport of heavy metals reaches a peak in the afternoon over the urban area. The under-prediction in the peak is explained by the simulated stronger winds compared with monitoring data. The stronger simulated winds enhance the transport and dispersion of heavy metals to the regional area, diminishing the impact of pollution events in the urban area. This model, driven by high resolution meteorology (2 km in horizontal), predicts the hourly-interval evolutions of atmospheric heavy metal pollutions in the close by urban area of industrial hotspot.

Geochemical anomalies of toxic elements and arsenic speciation in airborne particles from Cu mining and smelting activities: influence on air quality.

A characterization of chemical composition and source contribution of PM10 in three representative environments of southwest Spain related to mining activities (mineral extraction, mining waste and Cu-smelting) has been performed. A study of geochemical anomalies was conducted in the samples collected at the three stations between July 2012 and October 2013. The influence of Cu-smelting processes was compared to other mining activities, where common tracers were identified. The Cu and As concentrations in the study area are higher than in other rural and urban stations of Spain, in which geochemical anomalies of As, Se, Bi, Cd, and Pb have been reported. The results of source contribution showed similar geochemical signatures in the industrial and mining factors. However, the contribution to PM10 is different according to the type of industrial activity. These results have been confirmed performing an arsenic speciation analysis of the PM10 samples, in which the mean extraction efficiency of arsenic depended on the origin of the samples. These finding indicate that the atmospheric particulate matter emitted from Cu-smelting has a high residence time in the atmosphere. This indicates that the Cu-smelter can impact areas of high ecological interest and considered as clean air.

Urban NH3 levels and sources in six major Spanish cities.

A detailed spatial and temporal assessment of urban NH3 levels and potential emission sources was made with passive samplers in six major Spanish cities (Barcelona, Madrid, A Coruña, Huelva, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Valencia). Measurements were conducted during two different periods (winter-autumn and spring-summer) in each city. Barcelona showed the clearest spatial pattern, with the highest concentrations in the old city centre, an area characterised by a high population density and a dense urban architecture. The variability in NH3 concentrations did not follow a common seasonal pattern across the different cities. The relationship of urban NH3 with SO2 and NOX allowed concluding on the causes responsible for the variations in NH3 levels between measurement periods observed in Barcelona, Huelva and Madrid. However, the factors governing the variations in A Coruña, Valencia and Santa Cruz de Tenerife are still not fully understood. This study identified a broad variability in NH3 concentrations at the city-scale, and it confirms that NH3 sources in Spanish urban environments are vehicular traffic, biological sources (e.g. garbage containers), wastewater treatment plants, solid waste treatment plants and industry. The importance of NH3 monitoring in urban environments relies on its role as a precursor of secondary inorganic species and therefore PMX. Further research should be addressed in order to establish criteria to develop and implement mitigation strategies for cities, and to include urban NH3 sources in the emission inventories.

Contribution of mine wastes to atmospheric metal deposition in the surrounding area of an abandoned heavily polluted mining district (Rio Tinto mines, Spain).

The present study seeks to estimate the impact of abandoned mine wastes on the levels and chemical profile of total atmospheric deposition in one of the oldest and largest mining districts in Europe (Rio Tinto mines, Iberian Pyrite Belt), on the basis of a complete geochemical characterization of particulate matter samples periodically collected in five sampling stations located around the mining district between March 2009 and February 2011. The annual levels of total bulk deposition (soluble and insoluble fractions) registered in the Rio Tinto Mining District ranged between 18 and 43 g/m(2) depending on the distance from the sampling station with regard to the mine waste deposits. As a general pattern in the area, high mass levels of Zn and Cu were deposited in a range of 9-62 mg/m(2) not only in the insoluble but also in the soluble fraction. Other potentially toxic trace elements such as As, Sb, Ba, Pb, Sn and Bi showed greater deposition fluxes in the locations closest to the mine waste deposits. A principal component analysis with a Multilinear Regression Analysis certifies the presence of two common sources in the mining area: 1) a mineral factor composed mainly of elements derived from silicate minerals (Al, Ca, Sr, Ti, Li, Mg, Mn, K, Na and Fe), mixed with other anthropogenic species (NH4(+), SO4(2-), NO3(-)) within the village closest to the mine; and 2) a marine factor composed of Na, Cl, Mg, SO4(2-) and Sr. In addition, a mine waste factor made up of toxic elements (Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Sb, Ba, Pb, Sn, Cd and Bi) has been recognized in the sampling sites exposed to dust-bearing winds downwind of the mining area, suggesting that mine wastes are a relevant source of heavy-mineral particles with potentially adverse environmental effects to surrounding soils, plants and humans.

Impact of abandoned mine waste on atmospheric respirable particulate matter in the historic mining district of Rio Tinto (Iberian Pyrite Belt).

This work documents for the first time the levels and composition of atmospheric particulate matter in the historic mining district of Rio Tinto (Spain) to estimate the contribution and impact of resuspended particles from hazardous mine waste on air quality. The resuspended mine waste dust contributes notably (32%) to the total concentrations of toxic trace metals (Bi, As, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Sb) into the atmosphere, with the consequent impact on public health.

Source apportionment of PM(10) and PM(2.5) at multiple sites in the strait of Gibraltar by PMF: impact of shipping emissions.

BACKGROUND: The impact of shipping emissions on urban agglomerations close to major ports and vessel routes is probably one of the lesser understood aspects of anthropogenic air pollution. Little research has been done providing a satisfactory comprehension of the relationship between primary pollutant emissions, secondary aerosols formation and resulting air quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, multi-year (2003-2007) ambient speciated PM(10) and PM(2.5) data collected at four strategic sampling locations around the Bay of Algeciras (southern Spain), and positive matrix factorisation model were used to identify major PM sources with particular attention paid to the quantification of total shipping emissions. The impact of the emissions from both the harbour of Algeciras and vessel traffic at the Western entrance of Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Gibraltar) were quantified. Ambient levels of V, Ni, La and Ce were used as markers to estimate PM emitted by shipping. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Shipping emissions were characterised by La/Ce ratios between 0.6 and 0.8 and V/Ni ratios around 3 for both PM(10) and PM(2.5). In contrast, elevated La/Ce values (1-5) are attributable to emissions from refinery zeolitic fluid catalytic converter plant, and low average V/Ni values (around 1) result mainly from contamination from stainless steel plant emissions. The direct contribution from shipping in the Bay of Algeciras was estimated at 1.4-2.6 µg PM(10)/m(3) (3-7%) and 1.2-2.3 µg PM(2.5)/m(3) (5-10%). The total contribution from shipping (primary emissions + secondary sulphate aerosol formation) reached 4.7 µg PM(10)/m(3) (13%) and 4.1 µg PM(2.5)/m(3) (17%).

Variations in vanadium, nickel and lanthanoid element concentrations in urban air.

The emission of trace metal pollutants by industry and transport takes place on a scale large enough to alter atmospheric chemistry and results in measurable differences between the urban background of inhalable particulate matter (PM) in different towns. This is particularly well demonstrated by the technogenic release into the atmosphere of V, Ni, and lanthanoid elements. We compare PM concentrations of these metals in large datasets from five industrial towns in Spain variously influenced by emissions from refinery, power station, shipping, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and brick-making. Increased La/Ce values in urban background inhalable PM, due to La-contamination from refineries and their residual products (fuel oils and petcoke), contrast with Ce-rich emissions from the ceramic related industry, and clearly demonstrate the value of this ratio as a sensitive and reliable tracer for many point source emissions. Similarly, anomalously high V/Ni values (>4) can detect the influence of nearby high-V petcoke and fuel oil combustion, although the use of this ratio in urban background PM is limited by overlapping values in natural and anthropogenic materials. Geochemical characterisation of urban background PM is a valuable compliment to the physical monitoring of aerosols widely employed in urban areas, especially given the relevance of trace metal inhalation to urban health issues.