scholarly journals PM<sub>10</sub> variation, composition, and source analysis in Tuscany (Italy) following the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Giardi ◽  
Silvia Nava ◽  
Giulia Calzolai ◽  
Giulia Pazzi ◽  
Massimo Chiari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radical Change ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Source Analysis ◽  
Total Load ◽  
Pixe Analysis ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10 ◽  
Restrictive Measures

Abstract. To control the spread of COVID-19, in March 2020 exceptional restrictive measures were taken imposing a radical change in the lifestyle of millions of citizens around the world, albeit for a short period of time. The national lockdown, which in Italy lasted from 10 March to 18 May 2020, was a unique opportunity to observe the variation in air quality in urban environments in a condition of almost total traffic block and a strong reduction in work activities. In this paper, the data from seventeen urban monitoring sites in Tuscany are presented by comparing PM and NO2 of the two months before the start of the lockdown and the two after with the corresponding months of the previous three years. The results show that the total load of PM2.5 and PM10 decreased but it did not exhibit significant changes compared to previous years, while NO2 undergoes a drastic reduction. For three of these sites, the chemical composition of the collected samples was measured by thermo-optical, ion chromatography and PIXE analysis, and the application of multivariate PMF analysis allowed the PM10 source identification and apportionment. Thanks to these analyses it was possible to explain the low sensitiveness of PM10 to the lockdown effects as due to different, sometimes opposite, behaviors of the different sources that contribute to PM. The results clearly indicated a decline in pollution levels related to urban traffic and an increase in the concentration of sulfate for all sites during the lockdown period.

scholarly journals Modeling heavy metal release in the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Vannini ◽  
Luca Paoli ◽  
Riccardo Fedeli ◽  
Sharon Kwambai Kangogo ◽  
Massimo Guarnieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Remote Area ◽  
Metal Release ◽  
Evernia Prunastri ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Short Period ◽  
High Pollution ◽  
Heavy Metal Release ◽  
Very High

AbstractIn this study, the release of Cu2+ and Zn2+ was investigated and modeled in the epiphytic lichen Evernia prunastri. Samples were incubated with solutions containing these metals at ecologically relevant concentrations (10 and 100 μM) and then transplanted to a remote area and retrieved after 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. The results showed that, after 12 months, all samples faced similar metal reductions of ca. 80–85%, but after this period, all the involved processes seem to be no longer capable of generating further reductions. These results suggest that the lichen E. prunastri can provide information about environmental improvements after exposure to high or very high pollution levels in a relatively short period of time.

A case study of noise pollution levels during the restrictions period due to COVID-19.

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
David Montes-González ◽  
Juan Miguel Barrigón-Morillas ◽  
Ana Cristina Bejarano-Quintas ◽  
Manuel Parejo-Pizarro ◽  
Guillermo Rey-Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to the need for drastic control measures around the world to reduce the impact on the health of the population. The confinement of people in their homes resulted in a significant reduction in human activity at every level (economic, social, industrial, etc.), which was reflected in a decrease in environmental pollution levels. Studying the evolution of parameters, such as the level of environmental noise caused by vehicle traffic in urban environments, makes it possible to assess the impact of this type of measure. This paper presents a case study of the acoustic situation in Cáceres (Spain) during the restriction period by means of long-term acoustic measurements at various points of the city.

scholarly journals Relations between demographic, geographic, and environmental statistics, and the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Lucia Castaldo
Keyword(s):  
Normal Distribution ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Population Number ◽  
Environmental Statistics ◽  
Particulate Pollution ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Pm2.5 And Pm10

BACKGROUND: Since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has raged around the world, causing nearly a million deaths and hundreds of severe economic crises. In this scenario, Italy has been one of the most affected countries. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated significant correlations between COVID-19 cases and demographic, geographical, and environmental statistics of each Italian region from February 26 to August 12, 2020. We further investigated the link between the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and 10 concentrations before the lockdown in Lombardy. METHODS: All demographic data were obtained from the AdminStat Italia website, and geographic data were from the Il Meteo website. The collection frequency was one week. Data on PM2.5 and PM10 average daily concentrations were collected from previously published articles. We used Pearson's coefficients to correlate the quantities that followed a normal distribution, and Spearman's coefficient to correlate quantities that did not follow a normal distribution. RESULTS: We found significant strong correlations between COVID-19 cases and population number in 60.0% of the regions. We also found a significant strong correlation between the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the various regions and their latitude, and with the historical averages (last 30 years) of their minimum temperatures. We identified a significant strong correlation between the number of COVID-19 cases until August 12 and the average daily concentrations of PM2.5 in Lombardy until February 29, 2020. No significant correlation with PM10 was found in the same periods. However, we found that 40 μg/m^3 for PM2.5 and 50 μg/m^3 PM10 are plausible thresholds beyond which particulate pollution clearly favors the spread of SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSION: Since SARS-CoV-2 is correlated with historical minimum temperatures and PM10 and 2.5, health authorities are urged to monitor pollution levels and to invest in precautions for the arrival of autumn. Furthermore, we suggest creating awareness campaigns for the recirculation of air in enclosed places and to avoid exposure to the cold. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Italy, Pandemic, Epidemiology, Coronavirus-2019

scholarly journals Air Pollution

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramyadevi Ravindrane
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Pollution Levels

This article describes the battle with air pollution in two large cities, London and Delhi. Air pollution is a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe, particularly affecting those in large, urban environments. Action has been take to reduce pollution levels and some improvement have been seen, but not to a significant enough degree. We as healthcare professionals have a responsibility to advocate for greater change to be made.

scholarly journals Benzo[<i>a</i>]pyrene in urban environments of eastern Moscow: pollution levels and critical loads

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 2217-2227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay S. Kasimov ◽  
Natalia E. Kosheleva ◽  
Elena M. Nikiforova ◽  
Dmitry V. Vlasov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Critical Loads ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Local Background ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particularly benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are toxic compounds emitted from various anthropogenic sources. Understanding the BaP concentrations, dynamics and decomposition in soil is required to assess the critical loads of BaP in urban environments. This study is the first attempt to evaluate all major input and output components of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) balance and to calculate the permissible load on the urban environment in different land-use zones in the Eastern district of Moscow. BaP contamination of the snow cover in the Eastern district of Moscow was related to daily BaP fallout from the atmosphere. In 2010, the mean content of the pollutant in the snow dust was 1942 ng g−1, whereas the average intensity of its fallout was 7.13 ng m−2 per day. Across the territory, BaP winter fallout intensities varied from 0.3 to 1100 ng m−2 per day. The average BaP content in the surface (0–10 cm) soil horizons was 409 ng g−1, which is 83 times higher than the local background value and 20 times higher than the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) accepted in Russia. The variations in soil and snow BaP concentrations among different land-use zones were examined. A significant contribution of BaP from the atmosphere to urban soils was identified. Based on the measurements of BaP atmospheric fallout and BaP reserves in the soils, the critical loads of BaP for the land-use zones in the Eastern district were calculated for different values of degradation intensity and different exposure times. It was established that at an annual degradation intensity of 1–10 %, ecologically safe BaP levels in the soils of all land-use zones, excluding the agricultural zone, will only be reached after many decades or centuries.

traffic, urban

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Poehler
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environments ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Literary Analysis ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Formal Systems ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Ancient People ◽  
Object Of Study ◽  
The Impact

The movement of people, animals, and vehicles through the ancient urban environment had a significant impact on the shape of ancient cities, but as an object of study, urban traffic is a relatively recent area of interest, one that has tended to focus on the Roman world. The range of methods available to consider the topic, however, are relatively many, including literary analysis, archaeological field survey, and a battery of technical methods, such as Space Syntax, Network Analysis, and Agent-Based Modeling. In all of these approaches, two models of movement—pedestrian and vehicular—remain paramount. The results of studying urban traffic have shed new light on the impact of different forms of urban design, the ways in which ancient people navigated those designs, and norms and formal systems in place in urban environments to order the movement of people and vehicles.

scholarly journals Research and Strategy of Urban Traffic Congestion Control

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Zhiran Wang
Keyword(s):  
Congestion Control ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Traffic Management ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Management Level ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Traffic Congestion Control ◽  
Supply Capacity ◽  
Restrictive Measures

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0000pt; text-indent: 0.0000pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; line-height: 15.0000pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体; mso-font-kerning: 1.0000pt;">With the acceleration of urbanization, urban public transportation has been developed and improved for a long time as well. Currently, China’s traditional and single ground transportation system has been transformed into a multi-functional and compound multi-transportation one. However, the congestion problem in cities has become increasingly serious. Cities in different countries should take different measures to implement the accumulation pole. They also should focus on energy source consumption, environmental pollution and health care brought by traffic congestion. The practice and research countermeasures of relieving urban traffic congestion can be divided into developmental, managerial and restrictive measures. Urban traffic congestion is a systematic problem, which needs to be treated by comprehensive measures, and given priority to the use of developmental measures in order to improve urban traffic supply capacity. It is necessary to strive to enhance urban traffic management level, practice administrative measures. With historical basis, development level and fairness of urban development in China need to be taken into account, and carefully consider the use of restrictive measures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 70pt; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;">Research and Strategy of Urban Traffic Congestion Control</span></strong><strong></strong></p>

scholarly journals Traffic-originated nanocluster emission exceeds H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>-driven photochemical new particle formation in an urban area

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miska Olin ◽  
Heino Kuuluvainen ◽  
Minna Aurela ◽  
Joni Kalliokoski ◽  
Niina Kuittinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Formation Mechanisms ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Aerosol Formation ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust

Abstract. Elevated ambient concentrations of sub-3 nm particles (nanocluster aerosol, NCA) are generally related to atmospheric new particle formation events, usually linked with gaseous sulfuric acid (H2SO4) produced via photochemical oxidation of sulfur dioxide. According to our measurement results of H2SO4 and NCA concentrations, traffic density, and solar irradiance at an urban traffic site in Helsinki, Finland, the view of aerosol formation in traffic-influenced environments is updated by presenting two separate and independent pathways of traffic affecting the atmospheric NCA concentrations: by acting as a direct nanocluster source and by influencing the production of H2SO4. As traffic density in many areas is generally correlated with solar radiation, it is likely that the influence of traffic-related nanoclusters has been hidden in the diurnal variation and is thus underestimated because new particle formation events also follow the diurnal cycle of sunlight. Urban aerosol formation studies should, therefore, be updated to include the proposed formation mechanisms. The formation of H2SO4 in urban environments is here separated into two routes: primary H2SO4 is formed in hot vehicle exhaust and is converted rapidly to the particle phase; secondary H2SO4 results from the combined effect of emitted gaseous precursors and available solar radiation. A rough estimation demonstrates that ∼85 % of the total NCA and ∼68 % of the total H2SO4 in urban air at noontime at the measurement site are contributed by traffic, indicating the importance of traffic emissions.

scholarly journals Opportunistic Multi-Technology Cooperative Scheme and UAV Relaying for Network Disaster Recovery

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Farouk Mezghani ◽  
Nathalie Mitton
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Search And Rescue ◽  
Cooperative Scheme ◽  
Disaster Area ◽  
Time Simulation ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence

Disaster scenarios are particularly catastrophic in urban environments, which are very densely populated in many cases. Disasters not only endanger the life of people, but also affect the existing communication infrastructures. In fact, such an infrastructure could be completely destroyed or damaged; even when it continues working, it suffers from high access demand to its limited resources within a short period of time. This work evaluates the performances of smartphones and leverages the ubiquitous presence of mobile devices in urban scenarios to assist search and rescue activities following a disaster. Specifically, it proposes a collaborative protocol that opportunistically organizes mobile devices in multiple tiers by targeting a fair energy consumption in the whole network. Moreover, it introduces a data collection scheme that employs drones to scan the disaster area and to visit mobile devices and collect their data in a short time. Simulation results in realistic settings show that the proposed solution balances the energy consumption in the network by means of efficient drone routes and smart self-organization, thereby effectively assisting search and rescue operations.

Migration

Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 85-93
Author(s):  
Sabrina Hermosilla ◽  
Tahilia J. Rebello
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
City Size ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Population Displacement ◽  
Immigrant Populations ◽  
Short Period

The rapid growth of cities is attributable, in part, to substantial migration to cities from non-urban areas. As the economic potential of cities has grown, more and more people are drawn to urban environments, thus contributing to growing city size and to dynamic urban environments. And yet migration to urban areas is associated with its own challenges. Immigrant populations often face exclusion and challenges integrating in urban environments. In cities where a large influx of immigrants has changed the environment in a short period of time, social cohesion has been challenged, with attendant social divides. Migration results in population displacement and gentrification, each bringing its own challenges to health. This chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges that migration presents to the health of urban residents.

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