scholarly journals An Overview of Experiences Made and Tools Used to Inform the Public on Ambient Air Quality

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1524
Author(s):  
Alessandra Fino ◽  
Francesca Vichi ◽  
Cristina Leonardi ◽  
Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Status

Legislative regulations on atmospheric pollution have been established in different parts of the world for addressing air quality management. An important public commitment, common among all nations, is to ensure environmental safety and health protection, particularly for the most fragile population groups. Each country has its own rules and practices to provide adequate and timely information on ambient air quality. Information is given either through easily accessible media, including websites and apps, or by traditional means of telecommunication. An air quality index (AQI) is definitely a valuable tool for disseminating data on the main regulated pollutants and represents a readable indicator of the prevailing situation of air quality in the area. Several calculating expressions were formulated to combine, in a unique value, different parameters, and a few methods were created to determine and compare different AQIs. This paper gives almost a global overview of approaches and tools used to inform the public about the status of the ambient air quality. Different AQIs are analyzed to contribute to the sharing of air quality management practices and information to raise public awareness and to help policymakers to act accordingly.

scholarly journals The quality of the first and second Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area (VTAPA) Air Quality Management Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lehlogonolo Moreoane ◽  
Phathutshedzo Mukwevho ◽  
Roelof Burger
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
Priority Area ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Vaal Triangle

In response to deteriorating air quality, South Africa implemented national programmes that aim to manage and regulate ambient air quality and air pollution. Air Quality Management Plans (AQMPs) are clear outlines of measures and resources needed to achieve air quality objectives in a given geographical area and require support from government, business, industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the public. The success of the AQMPs depends primarily on the support of all stakeholders and the quality of the management plan. The Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area (VTAPA) was declared in 2006 as an area where ambient air quality standards are exceeded or may cause adverse air quality impacts. This research study focused on the VTAPA to evaluate the quality of the first and second-generation AQMPs for the VTAPA. Quality evaluation includes an analysis of procedures, processes, methods and documents. Effectiveness refers to the results of individual activities; therefore, the extent to which the AQMP met the expected outcomes of the review package defined the quality of the AQMP report. Both the first and draft second-generation AQMPs were considered to be of good quality. The first-generation AQMP was found to be of better quality than that of the draft second-generation AQMP. Funding mechanisms need to be investigated to assist in implementing intervention strategies in the AQMP as both the first and draft second-generation AQMPs were found to lack the potential to secure funds. Though the draft second-generation AQMP was found to be of lesser quality, the source apportionment study for identification of all sources as well as a better-outlined air quality management system was found to be good improvements to the AQMP.

scholarly journals Supporting the improvement of air quality management practices: The “FAIRMODE pilot” activity

2019 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pisoni ◽  
C. Guerreiro ◽  
S. Lopez-Aparicio ◽  
M. Guevara ◽  
L. Tarrason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Quality Management Practices

Indexing Method for Assessment of Air Quality

2019 ◽  
pp. 68-85
Author(s):  
Rajiv Ganguly
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
General Public ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
The United States ◽  
Quality Indices ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
The Status ◽  
Indian City ◽  
Central Pollution Control Board

Rapid urbanization and globalization has led to severe degradation of existing air quality in the majority of Indian cities. In this context, the general public has been aware of their exposure to ambient air quality and the effects of such air pollutants on human health. Hence, the concept of Air quality indices (AQI) is often used by regulatory authorities in conveying the status of existing ambient air quality to the general public. The chapter presents the application of air quality indices for assessing the existing air quality standards in an Indian city, Dharamshala, a tourist location in Himachal Pradesh, for the period of 2016-2017. Two different methods of determining AQI have been used wherein one method is used as the revised Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India with different sub-indices for Indian conditions based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) methodology and another alternative method utilizes contribution from all criteria pollutants.

scholarly journals Long-Term Atmospheric Visibility Trends and Characteristics of 31 Provincial Capital Cities in China during 1957–2016

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weicong Fu ◽  
Ziru Chen ◽  
Zhipeng Zhu ◽  
Qunyue Liu ◽  
Jinda Qi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meteorological Factors ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Provincial Capital

Millions of pulmonary diseases, respiratory diseases, and premature deaths are caused by poor ambient air quality in developing countries, especially in China. A proven indicator of ambient air quality, atmospheric visibility (AV), has displayed continuous decline in China’s urban areas. A better understanding of the characteristics and the factors affecting AV can help the public and policy makers manage their life and work. In this study, long-term AV trends (from 1957–2016, excluding 1965–1972) and spatial characteristics of 31 provincial capital cities (PCCs) of China (excluding Taipei, Hong Kong, and Macau) were investigated. Seasonal and annual mean values of AV, percentage of ‘good’ (≥20 km) and ‘bad’ AV (<10 km), cumulative percentiles and the correlation between AV, socioeconomic factors, air pollutants and meteorological factors were analyzed in this study. Results showed that annual mean AV of the 31 PCCs in China were 14.30 km, with a declining rate of −1.07 km/decade. The AV of the 31 PCCs declined dramatically between 1973–1986, then plateaued between 1987–2006, and rebounded slightly after 2007. Correlation analysis showed that impact factors (e.g., urban size, industrial activities, residents’ activities, urban greening, air quality, and meteorological factors) contributed to the variation of AV. We also reveal that residents’ activities are the primary direct socioeconomic factors on AV. This study hopes to help the public fully understand the characteristics of AV and make recommendations about improving the air environment in China’s urban areas.

scholarly journals Use of Simulated and Observed Meteorology for Air Quality Modeling and Source Ranking for an Industrial Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4276
Author(s):  
Awkash Kumar ◽  
Anil Kumar Dikshit ◽  
Rashmi S. Patil
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries

The Gaussian-based dispersion model American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) is being used to predict concentration for air quality management in several countries. A study was conducted for an industrial area, Chembur of Mumbai city in India, to assess the agreement of observed surface meteorology and weather research and forecasting (WRF) output through AERMOD with ground-level NOx and PM10 concentrations. The model was run with both meteorology and emission inventory. When results were compared, it was observed that the air quality predictions were better with the use of WRF output data for a model run than with the observed meteorological data. This study showed that the onsite meteorological data can be generated by WRF which saves resources and time, and it could be a good option in low-middle income countries (LIMC) where meteorological stations are not available. Also, this study quantifies the source contribution in the ambient air quality for the region. NOx and PM10 emission loads were always observed to be high from the industries but NOx concentration was high from vehicular sources and PM10 concentration was high from industrial sources in ambient concentration. This methodology can help the regulatory authorities to develop control strategies for air quality management in LIMC.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Utility of High-Resolution Spatiotemporal Air Pollution Data in Estimating Local PM2.5 Exposures in California from 2015–2018

Atmosphere ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Laura Gladson ◽  
Nicolas Garcia ◽  
Jianzhao Bi ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Hyung Joo Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Atmospheric Correction ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality Management ◽  
Spatial Coverage

Air quality management is increasingly focused not only on across-the-board reductions in ambient pollution concentrations but also on identifying and remediating elevated exposures that often occur in traditionally disadvantaged communities. Remote sensing of ambient air pollution using data derived from satellites has the potential to better inform management decisions that address environmental disparities by providing increased spatial coverage, at high-spatial resolutions, compared to air pollution exposure estimates based on ground-based monitors alone. Daily PM2.5 estimates for 2015–2018 were estimated at a 1 km2 resolution, derived from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite instrument and the Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm in order to assess the utility of highly refined spatiotemporal air pollution data in 92 California cities and in the 13 communities included in the California Community Air Protection Program. The identification of pollution hot-spots within a city is typically not possible relying solely on the regulatory monitoring networks; however, day-to-day temporal variability was shown to be generally well represented by nearby ground-based monitoring data even in communities with strong spatial gradients in pollutant concentrations. An assessment of within-ZIP Code variability in pollution estimates indicates that high-resolution pollution estimates (i.e., 1 km2) are not always needed to identify spatial differences in exposure but become increasingly important for larger geographic areas (approximately 50 km2). Taken together, these findings can help inform strategies for use of remote sensing data for air quality management including the screening of locations with air pollution exposures that are not well represented by existing ground-based air pollution monitors.

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