scholarly journals A multimethodological approach to study the spatial distribution of air pollution in an Alpine valley during wintertime

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3385-3396 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Schnitzhofer ◽  
M. Norman ◽  
A. Wisthaler ◽  
J. Vergeiner ◽  
F. Harnisch ◽  
...  

Abstract. In order to investigate the spatial distribution of air pollutants in the Inn valley (Tyrol, Austria) during wintertime, a joint field campaign of the three research projects ALPNAP (Monitoring and Minimisation of Traffic-Induced Noise and Air Pollution Along Major Alpine Transport Routes), INNAP (Boundary Layer Structure in the Inn Valley during high Air Pollution) and INNOX (NOx-structure in the Inn Valley during High Air Pollution) was carried out in January/February 2006. In addition to continuous ground based measurements, vertical profiles of various air pollutants and meteorological parameters were obtained on six selected days. For in-situ investigations, a tethered balloon was used to analyse the lowest atmospheric layers, 0–500 m above the valley bottom (a.v.b.), and a research aircraft sampled at 150–2200 m a.v.b. An aircraft equipped with an aerosol backscatter lidar performed nadir measurements at 3000 m a.v.b. Combined results from a typical day show a strongly polluted layer up to about 125 m a.v.b. in the morning. Around midday concentrations on the valley floor decrease indicating some vertical air exchange despite thermally stable conditions. Strong vertical and horizontal gradients with enhanced pollution levels along the sunny side of the valley up to 1300 m a.v.b. were observed in the afternoon. This vertical mixing due to thermally or dynamically driven slope winds reduces the concentration of air pollutants at the bottom of the valley and causes the formation of elevated pollution layers.

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3983-4011
Author(s):  
R. Schnitzhofer ◽  
M. Norman ◽  
A. Wisthaler ◽  
J. Vergeiner ◽  
F. Harnisch ◽  
...  

Abstract. In order to investigate the spatial distribution of air pollutants in the Inn valley (Tyrol, Austria) during wintertime, a joint field campaign of the three research projects ALPNAP (Monitoring and Minimisation of Traffic-Induced Noise and Air Pollution Along Major Alpine Transport Routes), INNAP (Boundary Layer Structure in the Inn Valley during high Air Pollution) and INNOX (NOx-structure in the Inn Valley during High Air Pollution) was carried out in January/February 2006. In addition to continuous ground based measurements, vertical profiles of various air pollutants and meteorological parameters were obtained on six selected days. For in-situ investigations, a tethered balloon was used to analyse the lowest atmospheric layers, 0–500 m above the valley bottom (a.v.b.), and a research aircraft sampled at 150–2200 m a.v.b. An aircraft equipped with an aerosol backscatter lidar performed nadir measurements at 3000 m a.v.b. Combined results from a typical day show a strongly polluted layer up to about 125 m a.v.b. in the morning. Around midday concentrations on the valley floor decrease indicating some vertical air exchange despite thermally stable conditions. Strong vertical and horizontal gradients with enhanced pollution levels along the sunny side of the valley up to 1300 m a.v.b. were observed in the afternoon. However, this vertical mixing due to thermally or dynamically driven slope and valley winds was not strong enough to renew the valley air volume.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Marley ◽  
Kim Dirks ◽  
Andrew Neverman ◽  
Ian McKendry ◽  
Jennifer Salmond

<p><span><span>A brown air pollution haze that forms over some international cities during the winter has been found to be associated with negative health outcomes and high surface air pollution levels. Previous research has demonstrated a well-established link between the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and surface air quality; however, the degree to which the structure of the ABL influences for formation of local-</span></span><span><span>scale</span></span><span><span> brown haze is unknown. Using continuous ceilometer data covering seven consecutive winters, we investigate the influence of the structure of the ABL in relation to surface air pollution and brown haze formation over an urban area of complex coastal terrain in the Southern Hemisphere city of Auckland, New Zealand. Our results suggest the depth and evolution of the ABL has a strong influence on severe brown haze formation. When days with severe brown haze are compared with those when brown haze is expected but not observed (based on favorable meteorology and high surface air pollution levels), days with severe brown haze are found to coincide with significantly shallower daytime convective boundary layers (~ 48% lower), and the nights preceding brown haze formation are found to have significantly shallower nocturnal boundary layers (~ 28% lower). On severe brown haze days the growth rate during the morning transition phase from a nocturnal boundary layer to a convective daytime boundary layer is found to be significantly reduced (70 m h</span></span><sup><span><span>-1</span></span></sup><span><span>) compared to days on which brown haze is expected but not observed (170 m h</span></span><sup><span><span>-1</span></span></sup><span><span>). Compared with moderate brown haze, severe brown haze conditions are found to be associated with a significantly higher proportion of days with a distinct residual layer present in the ceilometer profiles, suggesting the entrainment of residual layer pollutants may contribute to the severity of the haze. This study illustrates the complex interaction between the ABL structure, air pollution, and the presence of brown haze, and demonstrates the utility of a ceilometer instrument in understanding and predicting the occurrence of brown haze events. </span></span></p>


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 496
Author(s):  
Kyung Hwan Kim ◽  
Kyung-Hwan Kwak ◽  
Jae Young Lee ◽  
Sung Ho Woo ◽  
Jong Bum Kim ◽  
...  

In this work, a 2-D gridded air pollution map with a high resolution of 50 × 50 m2 was proposed to help the exposure assessment studies focusing on the association between air pollutants and their health effects. To establish a reliable air pollution map in a 2 × 2 km2 urban area, a mobile monitoring procedure and a data process were developed. Among the various vehicle-related air pollutants, the particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (pPAH) was chosen as a sensitive indicator. The average pPAH concentration on major roads (293.1 ng/m3) was found to be 35 times higher than that at a background location (8.4 ng/m3). Based on the cell-based pPAH concentrations, the 50 × 50 m2 cells in the air pollution map were categorized into five pollution levels. The higher air pollution levels were generally shown by the cells close to the major traffic emission points. The proposed map can be used to make various policies regarding land use and traffic flow control in urban areas. Estimation of the personal exposure level to air pollutants is possible at a reliable location using the highly resolved 2-D gridded air pollution map in exposure assessment studies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Chaurasia ◽  
Manju Mohan

<p>The megacities of the world are experiencing a punishing level of air pollution where primary sources of emissions are industrial, residential and transportation. Delhi is also no exception and had been worst performing in terms of air quality and air pollution. In this backdrop, a high-resolution emission inventory becomes an essential tool to predict and forecast pollutant concentration along with the assessment of the impact of various government policies. This study aims to prepare a high-resolution gridded emission inventory (1km*1km) of criteria air pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO<sub>2</sub>, SO<sub>2 </sub>and CO) for Delhi-NCT (National Capital Territory).  The bottom-up gridded emission inventory has been prepared taking account of population density, land use pattern and socio-economic status. The emission from all the primary sectors has been taken into accounts such as transport, residential burning, industries, power plants, and municipal solid waste burning.  The emissions are estimated using emission factors and activity data for each sector. The emission factor for various fuel type burning is taken from CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) reports and previous literature. Data corresponding to various sectors such as the amount of fuel consumed, population density, road density, traffic congestion points, industrial location, unauthorized colonies, slums, and total solid waste generation has been acquired from various government bodies, reports, and literature. The result reveals that the total estimated emissions from transportation, industries and domestic sector contribute nearly 72%, 60%, 52% of NOx, SO2 and PM10 emission respectively.  The transport sector has been found as the bulk contributor towards CO and NOx emissions. Domestic sector and Power plant emission have been found to be a bulk contributor of CO and SO2. Later, the spatial distribution of the emission is done using GIS technique (Arc-GIS). For spatial distribution of emission, district-wise population data, road density data, power plant location and digitization of the road network was carried out.</p>


Author(s):  
Zainab B. Mohammed ◽  
Ali Abdul Khaliq Kamal ◽  
Ali S. Resheq ◽  
Waleed M. Sh. Alabdraba

Baghdad, considered one of the most polluted and populated cities in Iraq, waschoosen for mapping the distribution of air pollutants and the overall pollution levels by using the ArcGIS techniques. Six of main observation stations werechoosen in a particular location. Then, the recorded data from these stations were spatially interpolated using two types of ArcGIS interpolation techniques. The spatial interpolation techniques used in this work were Inverse distance weighting (IDW) and fuzzy logic. This study includes measuring the main air pollutants, which were nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and nitrogen monoxide (NO) during the period from January 2018 to December 2018. The data recorded by the stations during the work period and the distribution maps of air pollutants, which resulted from spatial interpolation (IDW) method, showed that the concentration of NO2 was within the International limits of World Health Origination (WHO) which is about 0.11 ppm. SO2 concentrations were exceeding the WHO limits in all stations for the study area. The concentrations of CO ranged from 0.484 ppm to 7.027 ppm that were within acceptable limits of WHO standards that is 9 ppm. NOx concentrations ranged between 0.01506 ppm – 0.214 ppm, which were exceeding acceptable limits of WHO standards (0.01 ppm). The concentrations of NO did not exceed the WHO standard limits, which are 0.08 ppm. Finally, the fuzzsy logic method of spatial interpolation in ArcGIS was applied to evaluate the air pollution over Baghdad city.


SURG Journal ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
Jenni Vanos

High levels of ambient oxidant air pollution, such as ozone, have been associated with negative health effects in elite athletes. The photochemical model OzCalc was used to calculate ozone concentrations as a function of time in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Summer Games. By making use of the data obtained in Hastings, Ontario in August 1993, the model was adjusted for Beijing with respect to radiation geometry and ambient levels of primary air pollutants. Ozone concentrations were calculated using three scenarios: keeping pollution levels constant, a moderate success in pollution clean-up, and a high success in pollution clean-up. Results of ozone obtained with the model predicted very high levels associated with Scenario’s 1 and 2, while Scenario 3 showed acceptable levels for athletic competition, in accordance with WHO and Chinese Standards. A high NO-to-NO2 concentration ratio showed less ozone formation, which displayed the dependence of ozone on the variable levels of NO2 and NO. The level of the hydroxyl radical formation was closely related to that of ozone. The overall results suggest that Beijing will have a difficult time bringing pollution down to an acceptable level; athletes will have to deal with an added negative physiological response.


Finisterra ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (61) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique Andrade

AIR QUALITY IN LISBON: MEAN AND EXTREME VALUES - Different aspects of the air pollution in Lisbon were analised: spatial distribution, cyclical variation (yearly, weekly and daily) and dependence on athmospheric conditions. During January 1993, when air pollution attained very high levels, we found that a very strong relationship was established between air pollution and wind speed and direction as well as between air pollution and the eight of the thermal inversion over Lisbon. During the more polluted periods, wind speed never reached 2 m/s and the thermal inversion was always under 165m. As for wind direction, pollution roses confirmed that the highest pollution levels occurred with a flux favourable to the transport of pollutants from the main emission areas.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 730-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeak-Wun Quek ◽  
Chun-Yi Chuang ◽  
Hui-Hsien Pan ◽  
Hai-Lun Sun ◽  
Ko-Huang Lue ◽  
...  

Background Studies have confirmed the detrimental effects of air pollutants on allergic disease patients. However, individuals who are most vulnerable have not been completely identified. Methods Clinical study: During 2007 to 2011, 225 children aged 6 to 15 years with allergic rhinitis (AR) were recruited from a hospital in Taichung City, Taiwan. They were classified based on sensitivity to house dust mites, such as Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Blomia tropicalis (Bt), or Dermatophagoides microceras. Correlations between Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (PRQLQ) scores, allergen-specific immunoglobulin E levels, and air pollution levels were evaluated. Epidemiological study: Records of 9868 children with AR who were matched for study years, age, and city of the clinical study were obtained from a national database. Correlations between clinic visits for AR, topical AR drug prescriptions, and air pollution levels were evaluated. The air pollutants included sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), particles <10 μm in diameter (PM10), particles <2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nonmethane hydrocarbon (NMHC), and methane (CH4). Results Epidemiological study: CO, NO, NO2, and CH4 levels were significantly correlated with topical AR drug prescriptions in boys. However, in girls, only CH4 level was significantly correlated. Clinical study: Positive correlations between the PRQLQ score and air pollutants were noted in boys but not in girls. After adjusting for confounders, correlations between CO, PM2.5, and NO2 levels were noted in boys sensitized to Bt but not in those sensitized to other mites. Conclusion Boys with AR were more vulnerable to air pollutants than girls. Bt-sensitized boys with AR were more vulnerable to air pollutants than girls and those sensitized to other mites.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.7) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Amina Nazif ◽  
Nurul Izma Mohammed ◽  
Amirhossein Malakahmad ◽  
Motasem S. Abualqumboz

Over the years, anthropogenic activities have led to the increase in air pollution concentration levels in the atmosphere, this persistent increase in pollution levels can be influenced by meteorological parameters. These parameters assist in the formation and transportation of air pollutants in the atmosphere. Hence, this study aims at evaluating the association between meteorological parameters and air pollutants. The analysis was carried out using Ozone (O3), Particulate matter (PM10), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction data from 2006 to 2010, from two industrial air quality monitoring stations. Stepwise regression (SR) analysis was used to assess the influence of meteorological parameters in accounting for the variability of O3 concentration levels. The SR analysis showed that meteorological parameters accounted for more than 50 % of O3 variability. It can be concluded that different relationship between meteorological parameters and O3 can exist in different locations in the same region.  


2005 ◽  
Vol 277-279 ◽  
pp. 492-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Hee Kim ◽  
Ji Won Lim

Multivariate analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between air pollutants and meteorological variables measured in Seoul from January 1 to December 31, 1999. The first principal component showed the contrast effect between O3 and the other pollutants. The second principal component showed the contrast effect between CO, SO2, NO2, and O3, PM10, TSP. Based on the cluster analysis, three clusters represented different air pollution levels, seasonal characteristics of air pollutants, and meteorological conditions. Discriminant analysis with Air Environment Index (AEI) was carried out to develop an air pollution index function.


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