Diurnal and seasonal trends in carbonyl levels in a semi-urban coastal site in the Gulf of Campeche, Mexico

Concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, propionaldehyde and butyraldehyde were measured in a semi-urban coastal site in the Gulf of Campeche, Mexico, during the winter, summer and autumn seasons. Measurements were carried out from 10 February 2004 to 16 November 2004. Carbonyl compound levels showed pronounced diurnal and seasonal variations. Maximum concentrations occurred between 13:00 h and 16:00 h, when vehicular traffic and photochemical activity were intense, and during the summer (when there was greater solar radiation). Only acetone during the first campaign (winter) did not correlate with temperature; it showed an inverse diurnal pattern, with higher concentrations during the night, probably due to a local and temporal source. The low concentrations of the main carbonyls found in this study, compared with the values reported for other urban areas, seem to indicate that air quality is still satisfactory in Carmen City.